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

I doubt the trainer did anything intentional, but when a mistake is made and it affects the outcome of the game, that is not acceptable. Maybe this is a random mid season game in a sport that doesn't matter until the tournament ... but what if the same thing happens in a playoff or championship game? "Ooops. My bad. Sorry." doesn't cut it. I don't know what the answer is, and it doesn't impact me personally, but I'd hate to think if it did we are getting to the point of having lineups set by committee. Someday, a doctor or a judge is going to be a key player in the Final Four or the Super Bowl or something, and the fans are going to look like the villagers with pitchforks and torches going after Frankenstein's Monster.

You can talk all you want about what should be and "best interest" and all this, but it doesn't mean that people aren't nuts.

 

I'm not so sure.

If any lawsuits are going to be brought, you can bet the opposing team (in particular if they are the home team) will almost certainly be named in the lawsuit too.

So for liability purposes a home team could certainly argue if its own medical authority, i.e. the trainer, rules a kid should be pulled, the kid should be pulled.

The real fun of course will begin when an all-state kid gets knocked down, gets up after a few seconds, his team's trainer says "Looks fine to me," and the opposing trainer yells "Looks like possible concussion symptoms to me."

 

It's just a sporting event. It would be great if sports writers acknowledged that fact.

 

This was a Massachusetts state tournament game. I don't see what would be wrong with the host site hiring a neutral trainer in the postseason.

 

For what fucking reason? Each school is responsible for the health and well-being of its athletes.

If one school doesn't have a trainer then, yeah, the opposing school could be held liable if he or she screwed up a diagnosis. But trainers from opposing teams don't make joint decisions on a player's health.

 

Conspiracy type theories probably pan out, maybe, .0001% of the time. Like said previously, concussions are not an exact science. In fact, essentially anything relating to the brain is relatively fresh and not completed knowledge. And, especially with high school students, there is ZERO! reason to chance it. We're talking kids that often times do not play past high school and concussions which can effect the student's long term well-being if you send him/her back out on the floor and they take another fall or hit and BOOM, now we have the potential for more serious head trauma.

As to whether the trainer did it on purpose? Really hope not. I would imagine most coaches and ADs are not doctors.

At the same time, this situation would be easily relieved at the state tournament if the athletic association provided trainers. We have them at Iowa events, usually the local hospital in Des Moines (were most of the tournaments take place) will staff the event with several trainers (rather, EMTs).

 

For what fucking reason?

Money, that's the fucking reason.

If a kid gets hurt and there is a lawsuit, everybody in the fucking gym is getting sued. His team, the other team, the refs, the fans, the media, the guy at the popcorn stand, everybody.

At some point some school will argue that due to potential liability issues, they have the right to rule out kids on opposing teams from returning to games.

 

Have you ever competed for anything?

 

One can have competed or coached at a high level and still have perspective.

 

Yes, and I wish someone would have told me to take a break in high school rather than pushing through injury. My current self would have been grateful. My teenage self would have been pissed, but I would be able to walk without a limp.