This happened in an NFL game yesterday. Obviously in an ideal world, all of the medical staff on the sideline in an NFL game, including an independent neurologist, would do their jobs and prevent a situation like this from occurring. At the NFL level, are the officials expected to independently keep someone from coming back on the field on a later possession, or is the assumption made that there are enough qualified medical personnel to decide that?
How is this handled as you work your way down through the college ranks into high school and then youth football? I have to imagine that the officials' responsibility increases significantly the younger the players are. Obviously the vast majority of officials don't have any significant medical training. Is recognition of potential head injuries a part of the training for football officials?
Semi off-topic, how much liability is there for officials these days as far as players with head injuries go?
I figured I'd throw this out there as it's a topic I've wondered about, plus a discussion of how best to handle player safety can only be a positive to have.