Concussions…One of our responsibilities as officials is the safety of the children who are participating. Under Rule 2-8-5, it is our responsibility to remove from the game any player who exhibits the signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a possible concussion.
During the last couple of weeks, I have witnessed several instances where players needed to be checked because they had experienced a significant collision or had hit a head on the floor or another player. These are situations where we need to focus momentarily on that individual(s) to see if further diagnosis by an appropriate health care professional (AHCP) is needed.
If the player is exhibiting a symptom(s) of a possible concussion, that player needs to be sent out of the game with a report to the head coach to have the player checked. When in doubt, send them out. Please err on the side of safety.
As an official under South Carolina law, this is all you need to do. The ensuing responsibilities fall on the school and the AHCP’s who evaluate the player. Usually this will be a certified athletic trainer.
In South Carolina, you, as an official, do not need any kind of written report to allow the player back into the game. It is the responsibility of the school or organization sponsoring the team to make that determination.
In order to recognize a potential concussion situation, all officials need to be cognizant of the possible signs, symptoms or behaviors of a possible concussion. Rule 3-3-8 has a partial list that can be helpful as a review of things to look for.
The NFHS provides a free course on this subject. If you have not taken this course, you need to take this course as soon as possible. If it has been some time since you have taken this course, it might behoove you to do so again. A link is provided below to the NFHS Learning Center. The course is roughly 30 minutes in length.
NFHS Learning Center
Tip
Foul Reporting
Foul reporting is to be done from the reporting area. Some of us are reporting from just about anywhere on the court. While this may be appropriate for travel ball, it is not appropriate for school ball. Also, please stand still when reporting.
