Football needs to get house in order over concussion, and it is not alone | Sean Ingle

Too many sports do not have the right procedures in place to deal with concussion but work on pitchside diagnosis and technology to improve it is moving forward

A few years ago Sir Alex Ferguson accused David Luiz of “rolling about like a dying swan” to get one of his players sent off. But the Chelsea defender clearly wasn’t hamming it up at Bournemouth last week when a Josh King piledriver nearly took his head off. As Luiz toppled to the ground, TV commentators suggested he had been “absolutely poleaxed” and “kayoed”. Yet, incredibly, after a quick once-over he was back in action. As the NFL player JJ Watt dryly noted: “Knocked out cold, then back playing like a champ 45 seconds later. I guess the concussion protocols are a bit different across the pond.”

Related: The Breakdown | Rugby union’s obsession with bulk over speed and skill must be reversed

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