Big Ten presidents approved a more stringent protocol for addressing concussions, the conference announced Monday.

The new mandate requires that all conference football games have an independent trainer in the replay booth to identify players who appear concussed.

The new protocol also includes reporting requirements and gives the Big Ten the ability to discipline schools for failing to meet concussion safety standards.

Northwestern was an early adopter of the type of concussion safety program the conference will mandate.

NU has placed an independent athletic trainer in the replay booth for home games since 2012 and for road games since the beginning of the 2014 season, an athletic department spokesman said Monday. The spotter watches a monitor for head-to-head contact on the field and communicates to the field via telephone, headset or two-way radio.

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