Medical observer could yank players from SEC games
It’s possible this year that an SEC player will be pulled from a game not by his coach or training staff, but from a trainer in the press box.
A medical observer will sit in the press box at every SEC game, and will be empowered to halt a game to take out a player if deemed necessary.
The move appears aimed at situations like at Michigan last year, when a concussed player returned to a game. The school blamed a communications breakdown on the sideline between the coach and training staff.
Under the new SEC process, the decision could be made from above.
An independent, certified trainer will sit in the replay booth and monitor the game for injuries. If the observer deems it necessary, they will order the game stopped, then the player will be taken out. The player will not be identified, and the referee will simply say that it’s an injujry timeout.
The player will have to stay out at least one play, then return to the game only when cleared by the team’s medical staff.
“Really this is a next-step innovation in insuring player safety,” SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said.
The process was used on an experimental basis in several games last year, including the Georgia-Florida game. No stoppage was required, according to Shaw.
If a visiting team from another conference wants to opt out of the medical observer, they can. But the hope is they will not.
