Concussion Rule in Ohio

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by asdf

How can anyone watching a video (or watching from the stands) know what an official personally observed? How can anyone watching a video (or watching from the stands) know what a coach, doctor, or trainer personally observed or what communication took place between the parties involved?

The law in Ohio pertains to once a player is sent out. What happens before he is sent out is no different than anywhere else. If we observe the behavior, signs or symptoms, we send them out. If someones else observes the same, they sit them out.

Nobody can tell without a doubt what truly took place on that field/sideline.

No, the Ohio law starts with the duty to send him out. It also requires a certain level of training in regards to recognizing the apparent symptoms of a concussion.

If apparent symptoms of a concussion are obvious enough that they are observable from video, it at least suggests either a certain amount of willful blindness to those symptoms or an inadequate amount of situational awareness by those on the field and the sidelines. Either of these puts those involved in danger of effective legal action.

You don't have to be able to tell without a doubt what happened. The relevant standard is going to be the preponderance of the evidence.