A Harvard-educated doctor has accused LSU medical staff of carrying out a ‘bulls***’ concussion test on their quarterback after a heavy hit this weekend.
During their defeat to Florida on Saturday night, Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was left lying on the floor in agony after being brutally sacked by two Gators defenders before slowly returning to his feet.
Having taken such a fierce hit, LSU doctors were obliged to follow concussion protocols and examine Nussmeier before deciding whether or not he was fit to return to the field.
However, ESPN’s broadcast captured a member of the team’s medical staff conducting a bizarre test on the 22-year-old.
The Tigers staffer could be seen moving his index finger up and down for Nussmeier to follow it with his eyes, before appearing to make him stand on one leg with his eyes closed.
And that basic examination has not gone down well with Chris Nowinski, a qualified neuroscientist and founding CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
A Harvard-educated doctor has accused LSU of carrying out a ‘bulls***’ concussion test
Nowinski shared clips of Nussmeier being sacked and completing the concussion tests on X while writing: ‘LSU QB Nussmeier back in after this hit, missing one play after a BS “follow my finger” and “stand on one leg with your eyes closed” sideline #concussion exam is an embarrassment to sports medicine and college football.’
He then added: ‘If you are concerned he had a concussion because he got crushed, grabbed his head, and took forever to stand up, you’ve got to do more than this. He gets hit again and this could be ugly’.
After eventually returning to the game, Nussmeier was sacked for a season-high total of seven times as the Tigers slumped to a 27-16 defeat, extending their losing run to three games.
Nowinski also shared a clip of the LSU star taking another hit later in the game and said: ‘A few plays later he smacks his head off the turf. He’ll probably be hurting tonight, but I’m guessing he won’t admit it and we’ll never speak of this again.
‘I guess colleges are officially treating them as pros now. You sign up, you are going back in.’
LSU’s concussion protocol states that players should undergo a ‘clinical evaluation’ and a ‘physical and neurological exam’ if a possible concussion has occurred and initial exam has been completed.
‘Could they have performed a physical and neurological exam and run through the SCAT 6 while he was out for one play? No,’ Nowinski added. ‘Therefore, the protocol appears to have been breached.’
LSU quarterback Garret Nussmeier took a season-high seven sacks in their loss to Florida
Social-media users were completely in agreement with the Harvard P.h.D., taking to X to express their bemusement at LSU’s insufficient concussion test.
MLS analyst Taylor Twellman said in a now-deleted post: ‘This is in 2024 not 1975. Hey @LSUfootball you guys know smoking cigarettes causes cancer correct?!’
A fan said: ‘The purposeful lack of accountability within athletic training and sports medicine for cases like this is awful. How can any healthcare or medical professional be ok with this happening on their watch? It’s almost as though the non-ethical ones are preferred for such jobs.’
Another posted: ‘College needs an independent examiner just as the NFL does.’
A third joked: ‘Like the eye test I took for [my] driving license 30 years ago ffs’.
While one even claimed: ‘Yep. He clearly failed the “stand on one leg” test too.’
