Melbourne researchers call for extension to mandatory AFL concussion recovery period 30/04/2021|2min Melbourne scientists are calling for the AFL to extend their mandatory recovery time for concussions to 30 days after finding the current 12-day rest is not long enough for footballers to make a full recovery. This year the AFL implemented a rule that when a player is seriously concussed they must sit out for 12 days – twice as long as last year. Researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at Monash University reported – after comparing MRI scans of injured players with non-injured players – footballers were still showing serious signs of injury and brain damage after 12 days.