Sports clubs should face sanctions if players suffering concussion return to field of play

Sports clubs and their medical staff should face sanctions if they send players who suffer concussions back onto the field of play, a Cork-based neurosurgeon has suggested.

Philip O’Halloran has said that team doctors may face an “ethical challenge” when balancing the needs of the player in their care with the demands of the team.

Writing in this month’s Irish Medical Journal, Mr O’Halloran says there is a greater risk of this being a problem in amateur sports, where the governing body has not provided an independent doctor to assess head injuries.