N.F.L. Hopes to Make Another Move on Concussions NEW ORLEANS - The N.F.L. hopes by next season to have independent specialists capable of diagnosing and treating concussions on the sidelines during games, the league's top lawyer said Thursday. The N.F.L. Players Association has been pushing for specialists not employed by teams to offer additional and perhaps unbiased opinions about whether a player sustained a concussion and whether he is fit to return to the field. The union has alleged that the established protocols for examining players have not been faithfully followed because team physicians are either unqualified or under pressure to not pull players out of games. Working out the details of how outside doctors would be selected, paid and deputized has been difficult. Team doctors, who are around the players during the entire season, are considered to be in the best position to determine whether a player has sustained a concussion. Adding an extra doctor on the sidelines could provide a useful check, but also create confusion. On Thursday, the league said that having an additional specialist with teams on game days would provide an "extra set of eyes," Jeff Pash, the N.F.L.'s general counsel, said at a briefing that included some of the league's medical advisers. The league pointed to other measures it has implemented to improve player safety, including medical spotters in the booths at stadiums and online video monitors on the sidelines. The Players Association, which held a news conference after the league, was mildly encouraged by the league's announcement, but said that the league should uniformly follow rules that a cognitive exam be given to a player suspected of having sustained a concussion. "We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the sideline concussion protocol that we all agreed on was not given to those players," said DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the players' union, referring to instances of players who returned to games far faster than it takes to examine them. Our job is to make sure the sideline protocol is followed. Smith said the union would consider filing a grievance if the N.F.L. did not agree to include cognitive experts on the sideline. The league admitted that mistrust is a serious issue. Mistrust between the players, coaches, teams and the league was "the pink elephant in the room," said Troy Vincent, the vice president of player engagement for the N.F.L. "We have to break down those barriers of distrust."