02-01-2017, 08:51 AM
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#82
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Abolish The Salary Cap!
Join Date: Mar 2008
Casino cash: $3878675
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Quote:
Monday Morning MD: “Witch hunt” season is on
Now attention is focused on the Chiefs for their handling of Chris Conley in the AFC Divisional Round. With last year’s announcements of potential team penalties/fines for medical staff transgressions, it seems the NFL and NFLPA are destined to find someone to punish. The Chiefs head ATC is the current president of the Pro Football Athletic Trainers Society, which makes him a high profile target. Add to that the fact that he has been in the news this season and previously related to head injury and sets the Chiefs up to be a prime candidate to become a scapegoat.
I do not know the details of what the Chiefs did or did not do in their evaluation of Conley. This is why I have advocated for transparency. Why not let the UNC describe what happened on the field, sideline and locker room? Referees talk to a pool reporter after the game to help explain what the officials were thinking. Allowing the UNC to do this might clear up the perception that players were not cared for and might even apply more pressure to do the right thing with the doctor knowing he/she will have to answer publicly for it.
Currently the NFL does not have a full-time medical officer. Normally that person would jointly conduct the investigation with the NFLPA physician. With only one physician involved, penalties become more likely as the NFLPA physician has no counter. It is like only one side having an attorney in court or only one side having an expert witness in trial. The outcomes potentially get skewed.
Protocols are guidelines not rules. The NFL and NFLPA should stop practicing medicine and allow the UNC and team physicians to operate. They should allow them to speak to clear up misperceptions. If the independent physician is complaining, that should be fully and aggressively investigated with full representation from both sides.
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Posts: 19,806
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