“The manner in which teams disclose (or don’t disclose) injuries is unfair to injured players”

[tiger7_88]

Another excellent piece via The Athletic (which I am fast discovering is worth every dime of the discounted dollars that I paid for my subscription).

Warning:  This site is subscription-only.

https://theathletic.com/1237456/2019/09/25/trask-the-manner-in-which-teams-disclose-or-dont-disclose-injuries-is-unfair-to-injured-players/

Excerpts below:

 

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For a recent example of the way teams tend to handle injuries, take a look at the Cam Newton situation. It was apparent in the two games Newton played this season that he was hampered by injury (or injuries). This was exceedingly evident during Carolina’s Week 2 game against Tampa Bay. And of course, we now know that was indeed the case as Newton did not play in Carolina’s Week 3 game against the Cardinals and has already been ruled out of Carolina’s Week 4 game against Houston.

Since 2011 (Cam’s rookie year), only Marshawn Lynch and LeSean McCoy have more rushing touchdowns than the Panthers QB. Since 2015 Cam has had over 100 quarterback sneaks. But this season, he didn’t carry the ball in any of the multiple third-and-one or fourth-and-one situations the Panthers faced with him on the field. Cam ran for minus-two yards in the two games he played.

We knew that Cam suffered a foot injury during the 2019 preseason and we now know that he aggravated that injury during a recent game. Although the team knew after the game in which he aggravated the injury that he had done so, it initially indicated that was not the case. Ultimately, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney acknowledged that Cam had aggravated the preseason injury to his left foot and stated “we will see how it goes.”

This was the same approach Carolina took in the 2018 season when it appeared that Cam was not able to throw as well as he was in years prior. That was apparent in many instances that season and it was patently obvious when he was pulled from a game so that another quarterback could throw a Hail Mary pass. Only after the conclusion of the 2018 season did we learn that Cam had trouble throwing more than 30 yards and that he would (and did) undergo shoulder surgery.

 

Quote

 

The reason for the injury reporting rules aside, I believe that the manner in which teams disclose (or don’t disclose) injuries is unfair to injured players. Players are often counseled not to disclose anything to the press or others. Some players expressed to me that they were fine with this approach as they too thought that disclosing more than the bare minimum would create a competitive disadvantage. But some players shared with me that they would have liked to have been more forthcoming with information about injuries and would have done so had they not been told not to.

Greg Olsen of the Panthers addressed this issue when he said “… they don’t care if you’re hurt. They don’t care if you don’t feel good. No one cares.  You got to play.  You got to win.”

Given that teams will always do what they believe to be in their best competitive interests (and as such will offer the least amount of information required), given the purpose and intent behind the injury reporting requirements, and given that it can be unfair to players to minimize reports of injuries, consideration should be given to new, alternative approaches to injury reporting requirements.

 

 

I wonder if Genius-Billionaire Tepper is enjoying all of this positive press that his good buddy Ron, who he obviously retained as head coach due to his long-time track record of success, is providing to his multi-billion dollar organization?  

 

 

 

 

[raleigh-panther]

2 minutes ago, tiger7_88 said:

Another excellent piece via The Athletic (which I am fast discovering is worth every dime of the discounted dollars that I paid for my subscription).

Warning:  This site is subscription-only.

https://theathletic.com/1237456/2019/09/25/trask-the-manner-in-which-teams-disclose-or-dont-disclose-injuries-is-unfair-to-injured-players/

Excerpts below:

 

 

 

 

I wonder if Genius-Billionaire Tepper is enjoying all of this positive press that his good buddy Ron, who he obviously retained as head coach due to his long-time track record of success, is providing to his multi-billion dollar organization?  

 

 

 

 

I’m furious 

Ron’s favorite tactic is feigning ignorance.  Don’t ask. Don’t tell

no problem with a HC playing inside the rules like the top five do, but to not know and not put the players safety first is unconscionable 

Sick of him

[Mr. Scot]

Saw that article. I was going to post it here because it's definitely relevant to us but you beat me to it.

Side Note: Amy Trask is a good reporter.

[CLG]

I agree. Especially when it gets as bad as Cam was/has been. 

[Mr. Scot]

Also, those quotes from Greg Olsen...Ouch!

[tiger7_88]

1 minute ago, Mr. Scot said:

Also, those quotes from Greg Olsen...Ouch!

I'm betting some to all of the anti-Cam and pro-Rivera element (but I repeat myself) will be perfectly willing to believe Olsen.

For reasons.

[panthers55]

What is so unfair about not giving other teams a competitive advantage by telling opponents where and to what extent a player is injured so they can target that area for punishment to take them out of the game. So now folks know Cam's foot was injured, does anyone think opponents wouldn't go after that foot with an intentional twist or step on it intentionally if he were still playing?. The only reason players would disclose the injury is if they played badly or wasn't playing at all and wanted people to know why. That seems a justification which doesn't override the disadvantage the players suffers if opponents know where he is vulnerable.

And disclosing or not disclosing an injury is totally separate from the notion of playing a player who is injured or not. The only reason we said Cam was injured was because he played so poorly Hurney wanted to make sure everyone understood why he played so poorly.

And to the comments about teams caring about wins over anything else, duh. This is a business predicated in winning and players are paid millions to risk injury and give everything to the team. That is why they are paid so much. No one makes players do this and they all know the score when they sign up or at least shortly thereafter.

Seriously I don't see the huge problem here. How is this worse than underwater welding for example where you can make 250 thousand working six months but your average life expectancy is 6 years. 

[Ship]

I’d be curious to see the reasons some players have for wanting to discuss their injuries more in depth with the press because that doesn’t make sense to me. The only reasons I can think of (just wanting to talk about how they’re feeling when interviewed or to help explain why they aren’t playing as well) just doesn’t seem that important in terms of ‘fair and unfair.’

I also don’t really understand the fairness aspect of it. It seems solely an issue for reporters wanting to know information. If a team is fully detailed about each injury to a player and that player ends up playing that week, why wouldn’t the other team use that information to go after a weakness? I think it puts a player who plays at risk. If you want to have a conversation about whether injured players should be allowed to play at all, I think that’s a different discussion. I’d be curious to see that play out in reality. Star players would probably not play as often and more backups would see the field throughout a season. I wonder if that would affect how much money is guaranteed in contracts. 

[Everfrost]

14 minutes ago, tiger7_88 said:

I'm betting some to all of the anti-Cam and pro-Rivera element (but I repeat myself) will be perfectly willing to believe Olsen.

For reasons.

Lol always looking for that excuse. 

[Asurfaholic]

How much of the player injury report is dependent upon the players themselves actually disclosing their injuries? For example if a guy is in a contract year and doesn’t want to miss games, who’s responsible if he’s actually playing injured? And is that even relevant in the case of Cam?

[CPcavedweller]

Seeing what we've seen from Allen, you think Rivera would've preferred to have an injured Cam Newton who wouldn't even dodge, duck, dip, dive, or dodge from on coming rushers? He wouldn't even try to roll out of the pocket? He wouldn't even try to put pressure on his front foot to drive the football? You think a coach who wants to win wants to see his quarterback overthrow his wide open receivers by 8 yards? Miss sideline throws to Olsen that Cam has made his entire career?

You want to basically blame Rivera for Cam feigning ignorance when asked how his foot was holding up? With Allen we probably beat the Bucs by two scores. With an injured Cam, who also didn't try to run against LA, we were in tight with those two games when they didn't have to be. 

Blame Rivera all you want, but his tone following the Thursday Night Game when asked about the play call tells you all you need to know. Cam was injured and I think that was the first time it really hit him that the foot was an issue. Cam was then forced to come clean about it and they addressed the issue by leaving him in Charlotte "to rehab". There are stories you guys are missing by being unable to read between the lines here. 

[Harbingers]

Nobody in the media or fan base deserve more info on injuries. That’s just being dumb. If that’s the point of the article it’s really dumb. 

There is no regard for player health in public awareness and knowledge of it. 

[WarHeel]

23 minutes ago, tiger7_88 said:

I'm betting some to all of the anti-Cam and pro-Rivera element (but I repeat myself) will be perfectly willing to believe Olsen.

For reasons.

Who is the “they” he’s referring to? The article leaves it open ended but writes it to be perceived as the coaching staff.

 

Just being a skeptic as the media will often take quotes out of context.

[MasterAwesome]

21 minutes ago, tiger7_88 said:

I'm betting some to all of the anti-Cam and pro-Rivera element (but I repeat myself) will be perfectly willing to believe Olsen.

For reasons.

Pretty telling that that’s how you feel...”You’re either pro-Cam and anti-Ron or pro-Ron and anti-Cam!!!”. Everything has become so divisive...like we can’t just broadly support the members of this organization lol. The Huddle has really turned into a full-fledged mob with pitchforks and everything.

No idea what the last part of your post means, but this is a pretty good example of how you and others are awfully selective about what media statements you choose to believe, depending on what narrative you’re pushing.

-Ron coach-speaking about missed opportunities:

-“WHAT A DUMBASS!! Doesn’t take any responsibility for a loss!”.

Greg talking about players’ desire to push through injuries:

-“Ha, you’d be a fool to believe that...his whole family was probably threatened for him to make that statement”.

For reasons.

Me? I pay the same regard to any media statements made by our team, regardless of who it is...which is very little.