Carolina Panther quarterback Cam Newton took at least four blows to the head, the last coming as he led a drive in the waning seconds of Thursday night's game against the Denver Broncos.
It was the only hit flagged by the officiating crew and the NFL on Friday defended how the medical staff tasked with monitoring players under the league's concussion protocol handled Newton during the Broncos' 21-20 victory at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
"During stoppage in play while on-field officials were in the process of administrating penalties, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and team physician requested video from the spotters and reviewed the play," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarty said in a statement . "They concluded there were no indications of a concussion that would require further evaluation and the removal of the player from the game."
Broncos safety Darian Stewart was flagged for a personal foul penalty on the play, although it was offset by an intentional grounding penalty called on Newton.
The NFL and players' union in the offseason jointly announced a new rule put in place to penalize teams -- with fines or loss of draft picks -- if all the safeguards put in place in recent seasons to protect players from brain injury were not followed.
"We are reviewing the matter," union spokesman George Atallah told Tom Pelissero of USA TODAY Sports on Friday morning.
Newton was not removed once, not even after getting blasted in the head by Stewart on that final drive.
Newton said after the game he was asked questions after the game, not during it, about his state.
"They asked me questions, but nothing too serious," Newton said. "I don't know (what was asked), there's too much going through my head right now for me to remember what happened."
A certified athletic trainer that sits in the booth for each NFL game and has the authority to call down to officials and stop the game to evaluate a player suspected of sustaining a concussion. An independent neurotrauma consultant is also on the sidelines each game as a added measure of protection. The
But the onus also falls on the teams under the new guidelines.
In the offseason, the NFL and players’ union adopted a new rule to monitor whether teams correctly followed concussion protocol during games.
Both the league and union each designate a representative to monitor whether teams are following the protocol or not.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell remains in control of all discipline regarding concussion protocol offenses.
Initial violations of the protocol will result in a fine ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 for the offending team, with ensuing infractions prompting a minimum fine of $100,000.
Any team found to have violated the policy in order to gain a competitive advantage is subject to loss of draft picks as well as additional fines, per the new policy.
