Don't look away, If a player is Hurt, Don't Let Them Play!

The forum this week asked how I would react to a player getting put in a game, when they were not in the physical condition to do so. Let me think first as the arguments I would make if I was the attorney on the player's behalf. My arguments would go a little like this.

1. If there was any sense of injury at all, then the player should have never be put in the first place.

2. It is the coaches job to make sure that all of their players are in the best possible condition as they can be, however this coach neglected his player's needs.


3. As a coach he should have be informed as to the signs of serious injuries, especially in football. When a coach sees a player limping, they should have the immediate sense to check if they are okay. Also when a player gets hit in football and does not get up right away, that should be an indicator that there is something wrong. To back up what I am saying here, I looked up the signs of a problematic knee injury. This is talking about signs that indicate knee injuries. “Acute knee injuries can cause pain and swelling with difficulty bending the knee and weight-bearing. If the swelling occurs immediately, it may suggest a ligament tear or fracture. Longer-term symptoms that point to knee problems will include pain and swelling in addition to other complaints. Inflammation in the joint may be caused by even minor activity. Pain too, may come and go and may not occur right away with activity but might be delayed as the inflammation develops” (Wedro,2012). Well if the player was limping, that shows that he was in pain.Then if he was reluctant to get up while he was hit, that shows that he did not have the physical ability to get up. He was either in a lot of pain or his knee was so swelled up that he had the inability of getting up without intense pain. Looking at this information provided, as well as looking at the player's condition, one could see that the player was not in the condition to play.

Another thing to look at is the role that the coach has to play. In an article about the rules and responsibilities of coaches it talks about the role in making their players health a main priority. Here is a quote from that article "A coach will need to make sure that all the players he is working with are safe at anytime during taking their secession" (Jamie, 2009). If one interprets this like me, they can see that coaches should do everything to make sure that their players are safe. If a player is limping like in this case, then they should not be put in the game, just in case the injury is more serious then one thinks. If the coach does not do so, then he is not thinking about the well being of his players. That is unprofessional and the coach deserves to get in trouble, because of his ignorance the family has to spend a lot of money in hospital bills and physical therapy. In this article I read it cost $3,641 for knee surgery (Healthcare Blue Book, 2012). Most people don't just have that money hanging around and it never says if they had insurance or not, so that is a contributing factor as well. In the end, a lot of fault should be placed upon the coach.

If I had to look at this as an attorney who was in favor of the coach my opinions would be completely different. My three arguments would go something like this...

1. If the high-school coach noticed that this student was having trouble, why would he not tell someone before hand?

2. If the player was in pain, why would he not inform the coach?

3. The player is at the age to know when he can and can not play. Even though it is the coaches job to pay attention to his players, there is a lot going on in a game at one time. The coach can't pay attention to every player all of the time. They are going to focus on the action of the game. Also if the player was limping, the coach could have missed it. Remember that the player's former coach was using binoculars and focusing on that one player, where as the college coach was probably focusing on the whole team at the time. Also if the player fell, and got back up (even it took awhile) that could be an indication of fatigue. Football players are bound to be tired, it's a hard game to play. Also, if someone does not feel that they can play, then don't play! I know if my knee was hurting, I would tell my coach and see if he tells me to keep playing. If he tells me to keep playing, and I get hurt then it's his fault. If he tells me not to play and I do anyway, then I am at fault for my injury. So, at this point of time it can be blamed on the player, and the other coach for not informing anybody about the problem earlier on.

Another question that was asked in this forum was whether or not a University should have rules that control a coach's behavior in such situations. I would have to yes, they should. Believe it or not college football is a very popular sport in this country. When coaches make a mistake that is publicized, it is only going to make the University look bad. That is a burden that the University does not want to have. When it comes to coaches in football...they are the very thing that makes the team. There could not be football without a coach. According to this article the coach.... " is responsible for the development of his football players and the success of his football team" (Silverman, 2011). Just by reading that, one can see the importance of a coach to his team, and the pressure that is placed upon their shoulders. If the coach is not standing up to par, then in turn should be punished for it.

The last question that was asked, asked whether or not it's right for a athlete to have a contract that makes them get payed, even if they are injured. Even though athletes (in my opinion) get payed to much, I can't see anything wrong in this. This is like worker's compensation. Workers compensation is "A system whereby an employer must pay, or provide insurance to pay, the lost wages and medical expenses of an employer who is injured on the job" (Farlix Inc. 2012). If an athlete is getting hurt on the job, the they should get the same benefits as everyone else, it's only fair. Most people get workers compensation, it really helps enable people to get back on their feet and heal. Athletes are people too and should also get the same chance. I just think that it should depend on the severity of the injury, and how they got hurt. It is just like the case when Sidney Crosby was hit in the head by David Steckel, during a game and got a concussion (ESPN, 2012). He was hurt on the job and in turn could not play, at that time he should have gotten worker's compensation. If a player gets hurt outside of the job, then the job should not have to pay them money because it is not their problem. I don't see a problem in this, a job is a job (even if it is overpaid). Everyone should have the same opportunity. If they get hurt on the job, then they should get payed.

Resources:
ESPN. (2012, January 13). Timeline: Sidney Crosby's Concussion. Retrieved December 19, 2012, from ESPN NHL: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7459581/sidney-crosby-concussion

Farlex. (2012). Worker's Compensation. Retrieved December 19, 2012, from The Free Dictionary By Farlex: http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Workers'+Compensation

Healthcare Blue Book. (2012). Knee Arthroscopy. Retrieved December 19, 2012, from Healthcare Blue Book (Your Free Guide To Fair Healthcare Pricing): http://www.healthcarebluebook.com/page_Results.aspx?id=39&dataset=MD

Jamie. (2009, March 27). Roles and Responsibilites of a Sports Coach. Retrieved December 19, 2012, from Coaches Roles and Responsibilites: http://coachesgiveadvice.blogspot.com/2009/03/roles-and-responsibilities-of-sports.html

Silverman, S. (2011, March 28). COACHING STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES FOR FOOTBALL. Retrieved December 19, 2012, from LiveStrong.com (The Limitless Potential of You): http://www.livestrong.com/article/410731-coaching-staff-responsibilities-for-football/

Wedro, B. (2012). Knee Injury. Retrieved December 19, 2012, from emedicinehealth: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/knee_injury/page3_em.htm#knee_injury_symptoms_and_signs

Clairice, you made some great arguments in your post! In addition to one of your points (the significant cost of medical bills) is the possible loss of Mike's scholarship. He was playing at his particular university under a scholarship. In many cases, if a player is unable to play or doesn't maintain the necessary requirements, his scholarship is revoked (Cassilo, 2011). If this occurs in the O'Malley case, his family will be placed with the financial burden of both medical bills and tuition. Insurance is one option, however it only covers up to a certain point and doesn't include additional money for tuition.

Along with your third point under the defense for the University is the Assumption of Risk. This will many times be argued in a personal injury case when the injured person, "'assumed the risk' of getting injured by willfully participating in an activity that the injured person knew was dangerous" (Goguen, 2012). Some of this risks include broken bones, strained muscles, cramps, twisted ankles, sunburn, eye strain, etc. (Mayntz, 2012). The player chose to assume the risk of injuries associated with the sport when he chose to participate. By doing so, he was aware of the possible injuries while playing football.




Cassilo, D. (2011). Daily caller. In Retrieved from http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/09/for-college-scholarship-athletes-injury-can-spell-financial-disaster/

Goguen, D. (2012). Nolo law for all. Retrieved from http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/defenses-personal-injury-cases-32276.html

Mayntz, M. (2012). lovetoknow safety. Retrieved from http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Hazards_in_Football