NFHS Leadership & Team Coordination 2 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: A head coach observes an assistant coach arguing with an athletic trainer about whether an athlete should return to play after a suspected concussion. What is the coach's primary responsibility?
- Side with the assistant coach to maintain authority
- Defer the final decision to the athletic trainer per concussion protocol (Correct answer)
- Allow the athlete to decide based on personal comfort level
- Delay the decision until halftime to avoid disrupting the game
Correct answer: Defer the final decision to the athletic trainer per concussion protocol
Athletic trainers are trained healthcare professionals whose medical judgment on concussion RTP decisions must be respected per NFHS protocol.
Question 2: Which leadership behavior best demonstrates a school's commitment to concussion safety culture?
- Posting concussion policies only in the athletic office
- Ensuring all staff verbally acknowledge the concussion policy annually
- Having coaches sign a concussion policy and complete annual training (Correct answer)
- Distributing concussion pamphlets to athletes at season start only
Correct answer: Having coaches sign a concussion policy and complete annual training
Requiring coaches to sign and complete annual concussion training ensures accountability and reinforces safety culture at the institutional level.
Question 3: A booster club parent pressures a coach to return a star player quickly after a concussion before a championship game. The best leadership response is to:
- Explain that you will consider it if the athlete feels ready
- Firmly state that return-to-play decisions follow medical protocol regardless of game importance (Correct answer)
- Agree to a modified role for the athlete to satisfy the parent
- Ask the athlete's parents to sign a waiver accepting responsibility
Correct answer: Firmly state that return-to-play decisions follow medical protocol regardless of game importance
No external pressureâincluding championship stakes or booster influenceâshould override established medical return-to-play protocol.
Question 4: When coordinating concussion response during a multi-team tournament, the most critical pre-event coordination step is:
- Confirming which team has the best win record
- Establishing which licensed healthcare professional is responsible for medical decisions at the venue (Correct answer)
- Assigning team captains to monitor each other for symptoms
- Ensuring all coaches have each other's phone numbers
Correct answer: Establishing which licensed healthcare professional is responsible for medical decisions at the venue
Identifying the licensed healthcare professional responsible for medical decisions before the event ensures a clear chain of authority during a concussion incident.
Question 5: An athletic director receives a report that a coach returned an athlete to play after concussion symptoms without medical clearance. The first action should be:
- Issue a public apology to the athlete's family
- Immediately review the incident and place the coach on administrative review per policy (Correct answer)
- Warn the coach informally so as not to damage team morale
- Notify the state association without first investigating internally
Correct answer: Immediately review the incident and place the coach on administrative review per policy
Administrative review ensures the incident is formally documented and addressed while protecting both the athlete and institutional integrity.
Question 6: Which team coordination strategy best reduces the risk of a concussion going unreported during practice?
- Relying on athletes to self-report without prompting
- Assigning a team captain to watch for symptoms and report to the coach (Correct answer)
- Requiring all athletes to wear GPS trackers
- Reducing contact practice time to zero
Correct answer: Assigning a team captain to watch for symptoms and report to the coach
Designating a peer observerâsuch as a team captainâcreates a secondary reporting layer because athletes are more likely to disclose symptoms to peers.
Question 7: A coach notices two staff members have conflicting information about concussion return-to-play steps. The best leadership response is to:
- Allow each staff member to follow their own interpretation
- Convene a brief team meeting to review the official NFHS protocol together (Correct answer)
- Defer to the more senior staff member automatically
- Wait until the season ends to clarify procedures
Correct answer: Convene a brief team meeting to review the official NFHS protocol together
Bringing staff together to review the official protocol eliminates ambiguity and ensures consistent application of return-to-play steps.
NFHS Leadership & Team Coordination 2
A head coach observes an assistant coach arguing with an athletic trainer about whether an athlete should return to play after a suspected concussion.
What is the coach's primary responsibility?