OT: "Pushed to Play - Coaches routinely violate rules meant to protect injured athletes at football powerhouses"

[Fat Koko]

Bloomberg investigative report getting a lot of attention from Bloomberg terminal users today. Article is also available online behind a weak paywall.

Penn State, Washington, and Minnesota called out. Penn State coach James Franklin, former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck mistreated injured players.

"A high-profile example came to light in May, when Scott Lynch, the former team doctor for Penn State’s football team, was awarded $5.25 million by a jury that found he’d been wrongfully terminated from the role for complaining about the coach’s interference with medical treatment. Testimony at the trial revealed that Penn State’s head coach, James Franklin, had inquired about taking away the roster spot of a player who’d tried to kill himself and pressured Lynch to keep the full extent of another athlete’s injury from him so he’d be more likely to play."

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[Plum Street]

I guess it works
Franklin is in the playoff and playing for BIG title.
Deboer made the title game and cashed in at Bama
Fleck is a schiano guy and an all time great at Minnesota.

 

[Knight Shift]

Did not read the article, but is doing this against NCAA regulations? Does any of this change if players are getting paid? Maybe Franklin and Fleck liked the movie Roadhouse.

 

[Fat Koko]

Did not read the article, but is doing this against NCAA regulations? Does any of this change if players are getting paid? Maybe Franklin and Fleck liked the movie Roadhouse.

Yes. It violates the NCAA core guarantees. These rules came into effect on August 1, 2024.

Scholarship guarantees:

"Schools cannot reduce, cancel or fail to renew athletics aid for athletics reasons, such as:

• Injury.
• Physical or mental illness.
• Athletic ability or performance.
• Contribution to team success.
• Roster management decisions."

In addition, NCAA rules, "guarantee that medical officials, not coaches, determine when injured players return to the field," states the Bloomberg report.

 

[MCRU93]

I don't want to comment too much on this.... but "pressured Lynch to keep the full extent of another athlete’s injury from him so he’d be more likely to play." is slime ball behavior if true. Are they saying that the diagnosis would be kept from the player? If so..you shouldn't withhold someone's diagnosis from them and keep them in the dark about what their personal injury is. Regardless of a player being paid or not.

Or was this in reference to not telling Franklin the full extent of the injury so that he can feign ignorance and let the player play. Opposite of Schiano and Kyle where he had to protect Kyle from himself. Either way, thought provoking stuff.

 

[NickRU714]

HC D’Amato had no time for these player health shenanigans.

(NSFW)

 

[Knight Shift]

HC D’Amato had no time for these player health shenanigans.

(NSFW)

View embedded media

Need to watch that movie. Had no idea the great James Woods and Matthew Modine were in it.

 

[Fat Koko]

I don't want to comment too much on this.... but "pressured Lynch to keep the full extent of another athlete’s injury from him so he’d be more likely to play." is slime ball behavior if true. Are they saying that the diagnosis would be kept from the player? If so..you shouldn't withhold someone's diagnosis from them and keep them in the dark about what their personal injury is. Regardless of a player being paid or not.

Or was this in reference to not telling Franklin the full extent of the injury so that he can feign ignorance and let the player play. Opposite of Schiano and Kyle where he had to protect Kyle from himself. Either way, thought provoking stuff.

Plenty of examples in the Bloomberg report of coaches dismissing players' concerns about their injuries, but did not specify whether Franklin or the Penn State player was not informed of the injury's extent. Would be odd for a coach to tell a team doctor to keep the coach in dark about a player's injury situation.

The Bloomberg report is 17 pages when I cut and pasted it from the Bloomberg website to Word. Too long to post here. If you want, I'll send to you using the private message function on this site.

Agree Schiano does right by his players on injuries and I'm sure many other coaches do too - but many don't.

 

[MCRU93]

Plenty of examples in the Bloomberg report of coaches dismissing players' concerns about their injuries, but did not specify whether Franklin or the Penn State player was not informed of the injury's extent. Would be odd for a coach to tell a team doctor to keep the coach in dark about a player's injury situation.

The Bloomberg report is 17 pages when I cut and pasted it from the Bloomberg website to Word. Too long to post here. If you want, I'll send to you using the private message function on this site.

Agree Schiano does right by his players on injuries and I'm sure many other coaches do too - but many don't.

Thanks brother, I got behind the paywall just didn't have a chance to give it a look over yet. I was just looking to clarify that one quote but I will give it a read. Regardless, still wrong whichever situation it was.


A lot to unpack and it is not always black and white I am sure. But like you said, happy we do right by the guys.

 

[RUTGERS95]

here is my shocked face

 

[Plum Street]

HC D’Amato had no time for these player health shenanigans.

(NSFW)

View embedded media

Great movie

 

[e5fdny]

 

[yesrutgers01]

I don't want to comment too much on this.... but "pressured Lynch to keep the full extent of another athlete’s injury from him so he’d be more likely to play." is slime ball behavior if true. Are they saying that the diagnosis would be kept from the player? If so..you shouldn't withhold someone's diagnosis from them and keep them in the dark about what their personal injury is. Regardless of a player being paid or not.

Or was this in reference to not telling Franklin the full extent of the injury so that he can feign ignorance and let the player play. Opposite of Schiano and Kyle where he had to protect Kyle from himself. Either way, thought provoking stuff.

Interesting enough, and not saying they did it here at Rutgers. But as a player parent- my wife has always been super protective and health and body has always been her main concern. when Kevin started to play college ball- he just turned 18 not too long before signing day.
And then they ask for her to show proof of medical insurance for Kevin before he could play but then the small writing stated that after the age of 18, parental consent was not needed and they were not allowed to discuss his medical records, needs, etc...

Before she would let him sign anywhere- he had to agree to sign over consent for her to have full access and consent over anything medical. And there were a couple of times that she found out they may have given him shots before a game due to pain or injury and she went ballistic on the coaching staff.

At the factories- who the hell knows what they are doing to these kids. And parents should be smart enough to have their kids authorize them. Then again- I have seen enough family members that don't care as long as their kid is on the field. It is really sad

 

[TRU2RU]

Interesting enough, and not saying they did it here at Rutgers. But as a player parent- my wife has always been super protective and health and body has always been her main concern. when Kevin started to play college ball- he just turned 18 not too long before signing day.
And then they ask for her to show proof of medical insurance for Kevin before he could play but then the small writing stated that after the age of 18, parental consent was not needed and they were not allowed to discuss his medical records, needs, etc...

Before she would let him sign anywhere- he had to agree to sign over consent for her to have full access and consent over anything medical. And there were a couple of times that she found out they may have given him shots before a game due to pain or injury and she went ballistic on the coaching staff.

At the factories- who the hell knows what they are doing to these kids. And parents should be smart enough to have their kids authorize them. Then again- I have seen enough family members that don't care as long as their kid is on the field. It is really sad

Same waiver that every college bound student has to sign for his parents to be involved in all medical items

 

[yesrutgers01]

Same waiver that every college bound student has to sign for his parents to be involved in all medical items

yep- and we made sure all of our kids signed that damn waiver.

And if they play sports- you better damn well make sure you do. Because an 18 y/o kid just wants to play and they all think they are going to the NFL- they don't know or care what a Doctor or staff is doing to allow them to feel well enough to be on the field.
And even when they do know better- many of them will still let a Doctor do what ever it takes with no thoughts about reaching the age of 30 much less 90

Once in the NFL- it is much worse. But, our kids still allow us full access to their medical even well into their 30's. There is one thing they know 100 - neither of us will ever put anything ahead of their health as well as anything financial.

 

[LotusAggressor]

Need to watch that movie. Had no idea the great James Woods and Matthew Modine were in it.

That's a great scene with them arguing about the Lawrence Taylor character's injury.

 

[LotusAggressor]

"When the organization is hurt, it's injury. When the player is hurt, it's pain".

Peter Gent