Trail Blazers Forward Jerami Grant Enters NBA Concussion Protocol

The Portland Trail Blazers have reported that starting power forward Jerami Grant has entered NBA concussion protocol. He will have to pass medical examinations before he is able to return to the floor.

The team released the news today. Here is the text of their press release:

The Portland Trail Blazers announced today that forward Jerami Grant has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

During the first quarter of Friday night’s game vs. Oklahoma City, Grant was evaluated and cleared to return to play after sustaining a contusion to the right eye. Saturday morning, Grant began to exhibit concussive symptoms and was evaluated further.

Per the NBA’s Concussion Policy, Grant will now begin the NBA-mandated Return-to-Participation Protocol. This process includes a series of steps designed to ensure an athlete exhibits symptom-free behavior before resuming basketball activities. There is no predetermined timetable to complete the protocol, as each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.

Grant has started 54 of 56 games for the Blazers this season. He’s averaging 20.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game. He shoots 48.4% from the field, 40.6% from the three-point arc.

An explanation of the NBA Concussion Protocol can be found here. It includes definitions of, and evaluation for, concussions, plus the following sections on returning to play after entering the protocol:

5. Return-to-Participation Decisions:

a. Timing of Return-to-Participation Exertion Process. A player diagnosed with a concussion should be regularly monitored for 24 hours for the evolution of symptoms, and accordingly the player may not begin the return-to-participation exertion process until 24 hours after the time of injury.

b. Return to Participation Requirements. A player who had a concussion may not return to participation until:

i. He is without concussion-related symptoms at rest;

ii. He has been evaluated by a physician;

iii. He has successfully completed the NBA return-to-participation exertion process; and

iv. A team physician has discussed the return-to-participation process and decision with the Director of the NBA Concussion Program. Note that the final return-to-participation decision is to be made by the player’s team physician, in order to maximize the consistency of care for the player.

6. Return-to-Participation Exertion Process:

a. The return to participation process involves several steps of increasing exertion – from a stationary bike, to jogging, to agility work, to non-contact team drills.

b. With each step, a focused neurological examination is performed and a player must be symptom free to move to the next step. If a player is not symptom free after a step, he stops until he is symptom free and begins again at the previous step of the process (i.e., the last step he passed without any symptoms).

c. It’s important to note that there is no time frame to complete the process. Each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.

The Trail Blazers face the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, both home games. The NBA All-Star break follows those games. At that point, Portland will not be scheduled to play again until they face the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, February 23rd.