29 June 2024

The PBA Should Adopt The "Concussion Protocol"

Concussion Protocol
When the Fuel Masters missed the services of Jason Perkins, who suffered a concussion last March 2024, many were wondering if the league has an existing policy on how to deal with player concussions.

"At the moment, we have no concussion protocol," said one PBA source. "It’s up to the team physician to clear a player as fit to play. But we could study options for a league protocol to protect a player who suffers a concussion if it’s proposed to the Board. The PBA is always open to look at proposals that will safeguard a player’s welfare."

PBA Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro shared in 2018 that the pro league has already thought of the matter as early as 2016, and talks were revived after the Chris Tiu-Malcolm White incident in the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup.

"Napag-usapan na namin yan and that issue was raised again this season with what happened to Chris Tiu," the PBA executive told Spin.ph.

White hit Tiu hard in the head when GlobalPort faced Rain or Shine in the second conference. That sequence caused the usually collected Elasto Painters' guard to spit blood on the floor before losing his cool on the import.

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a player who suffers a concussion is made to undergo a series of tests to determine whether he’s ready to resume action. The tests are performed after a 24-hour wait period and involve a workout on a stationary bike, jogging, agility exercises and non-contact team drills supervised by the team physician.

The player is checked for symptoms after each test. The results of the tests are discussed with the NBA’s Concussion Program director who is consulted by the team physician before a decision on clearance is made.

There is no timetable for a return to action and the decision is based on how a player feels, symptoms and the results of the baseline tests. It is the team physician, not the NBA Concussion Program director, who decides if a player may be reactivated.

Here is the NBA Concussion Policy.

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