Kelly Klein And Joe Koff Speak On Concussion Policy In ROH

The situation between ROH and Kelly Klein continues to play out through the media in a he said-she said war of words. 

On Nov. 1, former ROH employee Joey Mercury unleashed a series of tweets calling out ROH for how they handle business. In the tweets, Mercury noted ROH’s poor treatment of Women of Honor Champion Kelly Klein, who reportedly was not properly treated for a concussion. Mercury also posted emails between Klein and  ROH GM Greg Gilleland, which were given to him by Klein. 

In the fallout, ROH decided not to renew Klein’s contract, which is set to expire at the end of the year, for giving the information to Mercury. Klein, Mercury, and Klein’s husband, former ROH employee BJ Whitmer claim Klein was fired by the promotion for publicly supporting Mercury. 

The ROH concussion protocol, or lack thereof, is at the center of the issues as Klein suffered a concussion against Lana Austin during the ROH Honor United Tour and, in her estimation, was not treated properly. 

“No medical personnel were ringside,” Klein told Sports Illustrated. “No medical personnel were in the immediate backstage area. The issue was not my opponent or the referee. The issue is that no one received training or protocol to recognize what to do when something is wrong. The problem is that no one has the protocol, no one has seen the protocol, and no one is in charge of making sure the protocol is followed.”

Klein reportedly wrestled for six minutes after receiving the concussion and laid on a floor backstage for an hour before receiving medical attention. 

“It’s impossible to follow something we’ve never seen,” said Klein about ROH’s concussion protocol. “I have asked, at minimum three times, to see the concussion protocol. I still have not seen one, so I don’t know if one even exists.”

Fightful reached out to ROH regarding their concussion protocol in the past but never heard back. 

ROH COO Joe Koff also spoke to Sports Illustrated and gave his side of why no concussion protocol has been made public.

“It is not posted, we don’t share documents like that publicly. When [Klein suffered her concussion] on October 26, there was a medic there, hired by Ring of Honor, and she got immediate attention once it was known she was feeling anything. The protocol is just this—we recognize the dangers that are inherent in professional wrestling. More specifically, the possibility exists of a wrestler suffering a concussion during a match, and we take all injuries very, very seriously. When we are alerted or when we feel there is an injury, we immediately defer to the medical professional on staff.”

Koff continued, “I wasn’t there, but I was made aware that Kelly did not realize she was concussed until sometime after the match. That hour could very well be a true lapse of time. But as soon as she reported she was concussed, she received immediate attention. Kelly declined the option to go to the hospital at that point. Ring of Honor had management present at the event, including the hired operating agent for the tour. I will tell you that as soon I learned about it, I texted her and she told me she appreciated my text and told me she was fine.”

An ROH spokesperson noted to SI that company policy states, “talent reports any injuries or symptoms to a match agent or producer. Medical attention is then provided immediately. Referees and other producers are always on the lookout for potential injuries in a match and follow up immediately.”

Klein stated she didn’t know where she was in the match against Austin and couldn’t properly communicate with her opponent. After the match, she says she tried talking to people, but couldn’t get through a thought or recognize faces before she laid down. She didn’t know an hour had passed before she was treated.

Koff believes protocol was “followed the way we have it designed to be followed. Once a performer indicates they are concussed or have any kind of injury, it goes immediately to the medical professional on-site. If you feel any recognizable symptoms, including headaches or neck pains that do not go away; difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions; slowness in thinking, speaking, acting, or reading; getting lost or easily confused; lightheadedness, dizziness, or loss of balance; nausea; increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, or distractions; blurred vision or eyes that tire easily or ringing in the ears, they are to seek medical attention immediately.”

Koff did not have a comment on the time that passed — approximately an hour — between Klein coming backstage to lay down after the match and the time she received medical attention as he was not there.

Mercury told Sports Illustrated that if ROH had a concussion protocol, he would have been made aware of it.  

Klein and Koff met in November, after Mercury’s tweets, to discuss their issues. Klein reportedly hoped to put together an employee handbook of sorts, but Koff reportedly said her contract was the handbook, though he did admit she made valid points during the conversation. However, Koff doesn’t believe Klein showed remorse for giving Mercury private information, which led to ROH not renewing her contract.

When asked if the situation with Klein could be repaired before the end of the year, Koff said he didn’t know.

ROH will reimburse Klein for her medical bills related to the concussion. However, it is unknown if they will continue to reimburse her once her contract expires on Dec. 31 with Koff saying, “I don’t think the precedent has been set, so we’re going to find out. My intentions are to make sure she’s whole through this.”

As of now, Klein will be a free agent at the beginning of 2020. It is unknown what will happen with the Women of Honor Championship.