Jan 14, 2016How Many Concussions Are Too Many?
A recent investigation has found that a number of football players who have been medically disqualified by their athletic department after suffering too many concussions are transferring to and competing for another school. There is no NCAA policy against the practice.
According to an article from STAT News, each university decides when a student-athlete should be medically disqualified. As a result, student-athletes who have been medically disqualified at one school can play for a different one.
“If [you] want to go somewhere else, you can find someone to clear you for virtually anything,” University of Arizona Head Athletic Trainer Randy Cohen told STAT News. “The risk assessment for each institution is different.”
There isn’t medical consensus regarding the number of concussions that can be sustained without intolerable risk of future complications. Along the same lines, the NCAA doesn’t have a specific limit on how many concussions are allowed.
“We are not at a place in society generally, and the NCAA in particular, to state that there is a universal bar that everyone must adhere to regarding ability to play,” Dr. Brian Hainline, NCAA Chief Medical Officer, told STAT News.
