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The curious decision of the independent neurologist to allow Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to return to Sunday’s game against the Colts despite obvious in-game wooziness could bring back to the front burner an argument that two influential former coaches have been making regarding concussions.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Hall of Fame Raiders coach John Madden and former Jaguars and Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who currently works for the NFL, have been pushing for players suspected of having concussions to be shut down for the rest of the game, regardless of whether he is diagnosed immediately with a concussion. This was the gist of the “WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE THEM OUT” memo that was sent to all teams in 2011, but that (according to the source) never became the actual approach to players who possibly suffered concussions.

The approach has been to allow players to return to games if cleared by an independent neurologist, regardless of any signs of apparent distress. Madden and Coughlin want to remove this gray matter gray area, with the symptoms that normally would trigger a concussion examination instead triggering a removal from play for the balance of the game.

It’s unclear whether that approach ever will get enough support to become the law of the land. If it does, there could be plenty of unintended consequences, including players attempting to knock opponents sufficiently loopy to get them yanked from the game — and players lobbying officials to send a stumbling player to the sideline, never to return (at least not that day).

Also, at a time when the NFL is trying to ensure that the on-field product is entertaining and compelling, it may not make sense to adopt a rule that will be more likely to remove healthy and able players from the field of play.

Regardless of how it plays out moving forward, the Smith case will give Madden, Coughlin, and others who agree with their position ammunition for arguing that player safety calls for more than a heat-of-the-moment concussion evaluation.