Goodell Won't Commit to Concussion Change by Sunday

Commissioner Roger Goodell said Saturday the NFL expects to make "a change or two" to rules around concussions but did not commit to a revised protocol being in effect in time for Sunday's games, as the players union wants. Debate over the response to injuries has intensified since Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was injured. Goodell made the comments at a fan forum in London, where the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants will play Sunday. Goodell did not say what the changes might be, and he didn't take questions from reporters, per the AP.

The Players Association said in a statement Friday that it has agreed with the league on revised protocols, NBC News reports, "to protect players from returning to play in the case of any similar incident to what we saw on September 25." The NFL responded that it agrees changes should be made "to further enhance player safety" and had discussed the matter with bodies concerned with injuries. Goodell did not mention Tagovailoa, who is out indefinitely, on Saturday while acknowledging there's "more chatter now" about concussions.

"We understand some of that chatter, but the reality is the protocols are really important," the commissioner said, adding that an investigation has begun. "We're really focused on doing that," he said. "But we're also prepared to make a change or two in the protocols because we think we can actually add another element that would make it even safer." The protocol sets out rules for diagnosing and treating players' concussions. (More football concussion rules stories.)