Oscar collision reveals serious flaw in Premier League concussion protocol

Thirty minutes. That's how long Oscar remained on the field during Sunday's Arsenal-Chelsea contest after suffering an obvious concussion in a violent collision with Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina. On an aerial challenge in the 15th minute, the goalie's shoulder went through the midfielder's jaw before he smacked hard into the ground.

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Not until halftime was Oscar substituted off, whereupon manager Jose Mourinho told Sky Sports that the Brazilian playmaker was off to the hospital with a suspected concussion.

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Over here in America, soccer chatter on Twitter was quickly ablaze with indignation. After all, the Premier League is supposed to have a new concussion protocol that is supposed to prevent all of this. A player with a suspected concussion should never be allowed to stay on the field. A second blow before the first has healed can be fatal.

But once again, all of these stark realities were ignored in a Premier League game, which we've seen happening countless times before.

A player takes a severe blow to the head, the old tropes of toughness are reiterated, and a dazed and obviously confused victim remains a participant in the game.

The Premier League just doesn't get it yet.

Perhaps America is aghast watching this because it's seen the parade of irredeemably damaged NFL veterans decay before its eyes. It's seen the suicides and the premature Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, all linked to concussions. It understands how brittle brains are – especially upon repeated blows.

While the English are increasingly confronted by the traumatic brain injuries suffered by rugby players, there isn't yet the critical mass of understanding that toughness has nothing to do with any of this. Managers and team doctors aren't yet capable of prioritizing long-term brain health over short-term gains on the field.

This all seems to be headed in a very ominous direction. It's going to take something even more serious than a concussion for English soccer to wake up.

And someone will have to get hurt in a way that can't be mistaken for softness.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.