Player removed from game for misdiagnosed concussion, her team loses.

http://bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/2013/03/school_player_unfairly_benched_for_concussion

Her team, playing on the road was leading when an opponent poked her in the eye. The athletic trainer at the site suspects she had a concussion and did not allow her to return to the game. Her team ended up losing.
It turned out she really didn't have a concussion and now her coach is claiming the trainer pulled the kid out of the game so the home team could win.
Somehow, I can't see any trainer doing anything like that, but I guess it's possible.

 

Welcome to the world of diagnosing a concussion. It's not an exact science. BUT I would much rather have a trainer be overly cautious, especially at the youth or high school level, than have them chance it.

 

There's also no guarantee that the bruised cornea would have not affected her game if she had stayed on the floor. Tough shit. 8) Deal with it.

 

It didn't involve a concussion, but I saw a girl hurt her knee during a game Saturday and get cleared to go back in. She tweaked the knee again later in the game, and an MRI Monday revealed a torn ACL.

Wonder how that trainer feels?

 

And is there a rule against taking your own trainer to the games? I know it's usually not a big issue in basketball, but still.

 

In my area, there's been at least two cases in the last three years of a star football player from a visiting team being held out of a game for a "concussion" and that team lost a close game. I've yet to hear about it for another sport.

And there's no reason not to think a trainer would do that, especially in today's sports culture.

 

Bruised cornea ... yea, she should have kept playing with that. No chance of being hit in the face more than once in a basketball game. No way it would have been aggravated.

 

Does he work for the Redskins?

 

I would guess this will become a bigger bone of contention pretty soon, with the (eminently-sensible) zero-tolerance policy for concussions becoming more widespread.

Other issues stemming from this general type of situation would be:

1) if both teams have a trainer, who has the last call?

2) does the opinion of a doctor outweigh that of a trainer?

 

Of course this is going to happen. It's now part of the game.

 

If both teams have a trainer then the other team's trainer would have zero input on the decision.

And, yeah, even in the dark ages - think the 1980s - a team doctor would supersede a trainer on any injury issue.

 

I doubt very many trainers are going to risk their license and professional standing for the glory of Podunk High. We aren't talking Ed the meter reader on the chain gang here.