With 9:42 left in the first half of the Miami Dolphins’ Sunday game against the Minnesota Vikings, Miami running back Raheem Mostert took the ball and ran for a two-yard gain to the left side of the field. On the play, Dolphins left tackle Greg Little took an inadvertent knee to the helmet from linebacker Eric Kendricks. Little stayed on the field face down for a few seconds, got up slowly, shook his head a couple of times, and returned to the for the next play.
At no point did any member of the Dolphins organization attempt to stop things to check on Little — at least in any way that was seen — and at no point did any spotter appear to stop play to insist that Little be tested for a concussion.
Watch Dolphins LT #75 Greg Little take a knee to the head, stay down, get up looking woozy, do the "shake off the cobwebs" TWiCE, yet finish the drive.
The FOX cameraman & producer hold on him way too long to try to help the #concussion spotter. How do you not evaluate him @NFL? pic.twitter.com/CfacbqYwLr— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) October 16, 2022
On the next play, it certainly appeared that Little was still dealing with the effects of that knee to the head.
This is the play just after the play detailed below. Little blocks Eric Kendricks, and after the play is over, he’s standing still and still shaking his head. https://t.co/CcJ2ybIoYU pic.twitter.com/2LOTkmN8et
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 16, 2022
Little finished the first half of the game. We are not independent neurotrauma specialists, but if it’s pretty clear to us that Little should be at least evaluated, of not removed from the game for his own safety… well, it’s safe to say that the NFL’s revised concussion policies, enacted after the Dolphins mishandled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s head injuries earlier in the season, are not working.
Hopefully, Little will be evaluated in some form or fashion at the half. If that happened, it didn’t take, because Little was back in play for the start of the second half.
