NBL's Perth Wildcats fined over Doolittle's concussion

The Perth Wildcats have received a $5000 suspended fine from the NBL for failing to substitute Kristian Doolittle out of a game immediately after he showed concussion symptoms.

The US forward clashed heads with South East Melbourne's Mitch Creek early in the third quarter of Perth's 100-79 home win on January 13.

Creek recoiled from the contact in pain as well but Doolittle appeared worse for wear, staggering almost immediately and appearing in discomfort.

Doolittle continued to clutch his head intermittently, at one point keeling over in backplay and later looking to the bench, apparently to determine whether he would be substituted out.

John Rillie with Kristian Doolittle.
Wildcats coach John Rillie chats with his American forward Kristian Doolittle.

By the time Doolittle was removed by the Perth bench almost nine minutes had elapsed, during which the Wildcats had called a timeout and substituted two other players out.

"The NBL’s Minimum Medical Standards state once a player shows a suspected sign of concussion, they need to be taken out of the game for a medical assessment," an NBL statement read.

"Player welfare is paramount to the standards and policy, and issues related to concussion need to be treated with extreme care and caution."

Doolittle did not return after being subbed out and missed Perth's following game.

He passed concussion protocols and returned to face the Sydney Kings on January 21.

The Wildcats will not have to pay their fine unless the club reoffends in the next two years.

An NBL statement said Perth had since implemented new concussion management protocols but the club declined to elaborate when contacted by AAP.

"Our players' safety and wellbeing is our absolute priority, and we'll continue to review and improve to ensure this is protected," the club said in a statement to AAP.

The NBL's findings came in the days after the Australian Institute of Sport introduced new guidelines for concussion management in youth and community sport.

The AIS now recommends a minimum three-week break before the resumption of youth or collision sport following a concussion.

Currently, the NBL does not have a fixed period for which concussed players stand down.

But the earliest a player could return to play is six days after a concussion, given they must tick off a six-step process to return, with each step taking a minimum of 24 hours to clear.

Players must demonstrate an ability to complete daily activities, light aerobic exercise, simple basketball skills, light training session and a full scrimmage, all without showing concussion symptoms, before making a possible return on the sixth day.

A player can only return to the court with approval from a club doctor and after completing cognitive assessments, according to NBL documents seen by AAP.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store