Keenum Concussion: Case Keenum Hit Brings Rams Coaches Controversy [Video]

There’s a reason Will Smith’s new Concussion movie caused 48,500 tweets to quickly surface on Twitter as soon as the Concussion movie trailer was released, as reported by the Inquisitr. Concussions are a controversial issue in the NFL, and a new concussion endured by Case Keenum, a quarterback for the St. Louis Rams, is adding to the controversy. As seen in the below video, the hit on Keenum, #17, features Case grabbing his head and stumbling in a confused state after the hit.

After NFL is called out 4 screwing up Keenum concussion they'll overreact, over-correct. How bout just get it right? pic.twitter.com/4cUnuJ6y75

— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) November 23, 2015

The controversy arose when Keenum was not taken out of the game; although, it wasn’t known at the time that Case had a concussion directly after the hit. The melee occurred during the fourth quarter of the game on November 22, when the St. Louis Rams faced the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the end, the Baltimore Ravens won, 16 to 13. Some sporting fans are blaming the fact that the Rams lost to the Ravens because Case was left in the game after taking such a hard hit. Meanwhile, the NFL is looking into why Keenum stayed in the game with a concussion, reports USA TODAY?.

It was announced on Monday that an NFL review would be conducted on the reasoning behind the medical experts’ decision to leave Keenum in the game on Sunday. The Rams quarterback was tackled late in the game and knocked to the ground. Keenum could be witnessed grabbing his head while he twisted and turned around on the turf. It appeared that Keenum tried to stand, but crumpled a bit before he was helped up to his feet by one of his Rams teammates.

There was no medical treatment for Keenum as the Rams tried to make their final push toward a win, but it wasn’t successful. In fact, Keenum fumbled the ball on a sack only two plays after his concussion hit. It wasn’t until after the game was over that Case Keenum’s concussion was diagnosed.

A statement was released by the NFL explaining the league’s reasoning behind launching a review into Keenum’s concussion and all the previous events that led up to Keenum remaining in the game in the wake of the controversial events following the hit.

“Promptly after the conclusion of yesterday’s game, we began a review to determine the facts of the injury to St. Louis quarterback Case Keenum and why he was not removed from the game for the necessary evaluation by a team physician or the unaffiliated neuro-trauma consultant as required by our concussion protocols. We are continuing that review today, which includes discussions with the Rams and their medical staff, the ATC spotter [a certified athletic trainer], the game officials, our medical advisors and the NFLPA [NFL Players Association].

“In the meantime, prior to this week’s games, we will reinforce with all involved the need to ensure that these injuries are properly identified and addressed in a manner consistent with our protocols.”

According to the Rams’ head coach, Jeff Fisher, the NFL referees waved away the trainer off the field after Keenum’s hit, and Fisher said he wasn’t aware of the concussion at the time of the hit. Fisher did say that as a result of the hit on Keenum and his concussion, he would allow Keenum “a good week of practice” and expect him to perform better.

Along with Keenum’s concussion, another NFL quarterback experienced an injury on Sunday but was also not taken out of the game. As reported by ESPN, Joe Flacco endured a torn ACL, but still completed playing in the game on Sunday, which is now the source of an NFL review due to Case Keenum’s concussion.

[Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images]