Concussion substitutes: Alan Shearer calls for temporary changes
- Published
George Baldock had treatment against Leeds and was replaced after signalling he could no longer continue
Alan Shearer says temporary concussion substitutions should be introduced to protect players after two Sheffield United defenders suffered blows to the head in their defeat at Leeds United.
George Baldock had treatment in the first half but played on for 11 minutes before being replaced.
Jayden Bogle also sustained a head injury in the second half and was immediately substituted.
"This situation needs to be changed quickly," Shearer told Amazon Prime.
"I think it's really unfair on the medical staff. It's putting far too much pressure on them to make a decision and make a decision quickly."
Peter McCabe, chief executive of brain injury charity Headway, said: "How many times will the health of players be risked before football finally listens? What is it going to take?
"Yet again, our concerns regarding the fundamentally flawed concept of permanent rather than temporary substitutes has been graphically illustrated."
The Premier League introduced a trial of additional permanent concussion substitutions in February, giving teams two per game.
According to the league's concussion protocol,, external the team doctor has "as much time as is required to make an on-pitch clinical assessment".
If there are clear symptoms, the team must use a concussion substitution and the player cannot return to the field. If symptoms evolve when the player has continued playing, a concussion substitution must be used then instead.
"He [Baldock] should be allowed to come off, be assessed for however long it takes, a temporary sub should be allowed to come on and then if he's allowed to, he comes back on," added former England captain Shearer, who made a documentary about the impact of concussion in football.
"The medics are being rushed into situations which are life-changing and that's not correct. If in doubt, sit them out.
"It was quite clearly a risk allowing him to go back onto the pitch in the condition he was in. That was the ideal scenario where a temporary substitution would work. The medics shouldn't be rushing to make that decision and trying to get the player back on the pitch."
Sheffield United's interim manager Paul Heckingbottom added: "It [concussion protocol] is there. All clubs understand it and follow it, we just happened to get two in the same position today which was a bit of a nightmare for us and meant some re-jigging.
"But we can't take chances - so obviously as soon as George is assessed he carries on but if he reports any sort of symptoms we have to take him off and then it's the same with Jayden.
"As a club, we accept you can't take any chances and we are always led by the medics on that now. Maybe there's things that can be done further but there's certainly been big improvements."
McCabe added: "The medical teams have an impossible job. You cannot expect them to be able to make a considered opinion in a two or three-minute on-pitch concussion assessment.
"Ten minutes will not pick up all concussions - but temporary substitutions would be a significant step forward for a sport that continues to drag its feet on concussion."
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