DETROIT (WXYZ) — MSU athletics says it will change its protocol after an athlete returned to last Friday’s football game after showing symptoms of a concussion.
Alante Brown, a wide receiver for the Spartans, collided with a player for Central Michigan University during the opening kickoff of Friday’s contest. He was placed on a backboard and carted off the field.
Brown showed “mild concussive symptoms” the next day, and the university was widely criticized by medical professionals for not keeping Brown sidelined.
“It was surprising to see Alante Brown come back into the game,” said Graham Couch, a longtime columnist with the Lansing State Journal. Couch was covering the game Friday from the press box.
“I’d like to think myself, if I was in those shoes and saw a player in that position, I would be reluctant, no matter what someone told me (to say), ‘Maybe we’re just going to sit this one out and make sure things are okay.’”
When questioned Friday night about Brown's injury and again on Monday, head Coach Mel Tucker stressed that he was cleared by medical staff to return to the game.
On Thursday afternoon, the school issued an explanation for how it happened.
Dr. Jeff Kovan, Director of Athletic Medicine, said that Brown received a head and neck screen after the injury, and was again evaluated in MSU’s tunnel. Both examinations showed no evidence of a neck or neurological injury or a concussion.
But Kovan said video of the hit—even though it was broadcast on television—was not reviewed by athletic staff. When it finally was seen at halftime, Brown was kept out of the game.
Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, was one of several voices to criticize MSU on social media.
“This goes beyond, ‘Oh we watched the wrong angle of the film,’” Nowinski said. “I think it shows a lack of caring. That nobody figured this out.”
Nowinski is also neuroscientist and former college football player.
“It makes you worried about what’s happening there. I mean, this was a situation where everyone who was watching the game knew what happened...and the idea that nobody would call down to the medical staff or the coaches to say, 'Hey by the way, if you missed it, he was unconscious and shouldn’t go back in under any circumstances.’”
“The fact that it didn’t happen? It shows a systemic breakdown.”
The day after the game, MSU says Brown “displayed mild concussive symptoms on his repeat examinations. He’s currently doing well and progressing through concussion protocol.”
“Moving Forward,” the statement said, “we will expand our use of video access as a tool to assist our healthcare providers in evaluating injuries and potential return to play.”
Couch said that “it’s clear (MSU) made a mistake here,” but said it was a positive sign that the university was acknowledging its error.
It is not clear if Brown will play Satuday when MSU takes on Richmond at Spartan Stadium.
Dr. Nowinski says there’s no reason he should, and hopes the university will learn from its mistakes.
“Both my parents went to Michigan State. I’ve been invited to lecture there,” he said.
“I don’t know what’s happening. The people I know at Michigan State are good medical people, but something is going wrong in how these things are being managed.”
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.