Weighing in on Michigan Situation

If you follow college football or listen to sports radio there is a good chance that you have been exposed to the story of Michigan quarterback, Shane Morris, and the apparent failure to keep him from the field after sustaining a head injury.  The official story from the University is that it was a communication error.

Believe it or not, that could be exactly correct.  Now, were there some possible missteps along the way by ALL involved, yes.  Is there one single person or policy in place that is to blame, no.  I offer some perspective before everyone eviscerates their choice of target in this case, lets take a look at how this could have went sideways.

The Player

Morris was roughed up a bit as the game progressed; he is a sophomore QB that was just elevated to the starting position on a premiere football program.  Certainly he displayed some orthopedic distress as he was limping heavily after a play – how many times have we seen players play through ankle/knee/leg/foot injuries and some times even celebrated for doing so.  Morris was playing through pain trying to help his team, but what happened next need not happen; however the player himself has a lot to do with how it will and did go down.

After Morris was hit in the head he attempted to get up and was obviously unsteady on his feet, he even waved off the medical team.  I have been told by a good source that he even told the sidelines it was his ankle that was the issue, not his head.  Which is entirely plausible, but due to the mechanism of the previous play would be unlikely the main reason for his wobbliness.

Athletic trainers as medical professionals are not omnipotent but we sure are close (ha) when it comes to injuries on the field/court of play.  We do rely upon input from other human beings to make quick and decisive decisions.  Doing so, in some instances, can end up creating a delay in proper treatment as it did in this case.  Morris’ insistence that he was ‘OK’ immediately after the hit was taken for face value in that very short period of time.  Considering the confluence of all the other factors for player safety – his ankle, his immediate response to the sideline, his demeanor – he was not ripped from the field.  To be honest here, I have never seen a coach, teammate, athletic trainer or other – in the college or professional ranks – step on a field to remove a player that got up and “shook it off”; usually it takes the player going down and staying down for that to happen, if he/she does not leave the field under their own volition.  Because of this, it is on the player to make sure they are seeking the proper care for their own well-being.

After the next play, Morris was removed for evaluation of his injuries.  Part of that evaluation included his head and the team Continue reading

Old Coach Point of View

What I believe was at the same conference as the previous video by Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher; former coach Lloyd Carr speaks about concussions;

Coach Carr was the head football coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 – 2007, it is worth listening to this perspective.  Although coaches can be to blame for much of the “complaining” when it comes to the necessary changes in any sport as it relates to concussion, their input is very worthy.

We can sit in our offices and come up with “dream” ideas, but these are the men/women that must implement all the “bright” ideas.  There is something to be said for those that have “been-there-done-that”, so as long as it is both constructive and respectful.  I believe that Coach Carr did a good job of this.

A quick side note; this was in 2011 and he spoke of leading with the head, now the NCAA and NFL will possibly eject players for leading with the crown of the helmet (a very hot debate, and will be once the season begins).

Kutcher Concussion Talk 2011

Here is a video from YouTube of Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher titled “How to Minimize Concussion Damage”

Dr. Kutcher, M.D., is director of the Michigan NeuroSport Program. He spoke at Play Smart: Injury Prevention on and off the Field, a 2011 National Public Health Week “Live Injury Free” event at University of Michigan School of Public Health. His topic was TBIs–Traumatic Brain Injuries (concussions) among young athletes.

SCORE by UM NeuroSport

A program run by the University of Michigan, Sports Concussion Online Resources & Education (SCORE), has developed another educational video for coaches about concussions.  It is specifically run by Michigan NeuroSport;

Michigan NeuroSport is a team of physicians, researchers and medical personnel which provides comprehensive and advanced treatment of neurologic disease. We specialize in the treatment and prevention of neurological sports injuries, as well as the management of primary neurological diseases in the athlete.

This online course emphasizes that it takes a team to recognize the symptoms of a concussion, therefore everyone should know what they should be looking for in the instances of injury.  It takes quick registration to complete the tutorial and for those in Michigan this is a must to be up to date on the most recent information.

Thanks to Brad Shannon for the heads up…