ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN SPORTS IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEAM MEDICAL PERSONNEL....ALWAYS HIRED BY THE CLUB...AND THE WELFARE OF THE PLAYER. THE MOST GLARING EXAMPLE OF ABUSE INVOLVED MIKE ROBITAILLE OF THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS WHO, IN 1976 SUFFERED A BACK INJURY WHICH THE CANUCKS DOCTOR SAID WAS NOT SERIOUS. ROBITAILLE WAS FORCED TO PLAY..
HIS CAREER WAS ENDED AND IN THE ENSUING LAWSUIT A JUDGE RULED THE ACTIONS OF COACH PHIL MALONEY AND THE DOCTOR WERE SO HIGHHANDED AND ARROGANT THAT HE AWARDED MAJOR FINANCIAL DAMAGES TO ROBITAILLE. ROBITAILLE IS NOW A BUFFALO SABRES BROADCASTER.
LATEST EXAMPLE OF THE "FOX IN THE HENHOUSE". DOCTOR ELLIOT PELLMAN...
THIS WEEK PELLMAN SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATION AS THE SO-CALLED NFL "
CONCUSSION EXPERT ". IT'S BEEN DISCOVERED THAT PELLMAN'S RESUME WAS FILLED WITH OUT AND OUT LIES. THAT HIS MEDICAL DEGREE CAME FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF GUADALAJARA IN MEXICO IN SOMETHING FAR REMOVED FROM NEUROLOGY. PELLMAN WAS AUTHOR OF A NUMBER OF PAPERS THAT WENT AGAINST THE OPINION OF EVERY NEUROLOGY SPECIALIST IN THE WORLD. AMONG OTHER THINGS PELLMAN ARGUED THAT THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS A CUMULATIVE EFFECT IN SUCCESSIVE CONCUSSIONS.
THIS WAS EXACTLY WHAT THE NFL WANTED TO HEAR. BY IGNORING THE REST OF THE WORLD IT GAVE THE NFL CARTE BLANCHE TO RUN PLAYERS WITH HEAD INJURIES RIGHT BACK INTO THE GAME WITHOUT REGARD FOR THEIR SAFETY.
OH.....A WORD TO RYAN SMYTH. WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN THE ISLANDERS DRESSING
ROOM TONIGHT. PELLMAN REMAINS THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL SERVICES. RYAN....JUST THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW.
1 comment:
I agree with you Ron, but I also think the competitive fire burns so strongly in some of these athletes that staying off the field of play for even a minute due to an injury is almost unthinkable. We, the adoring public, heap praise and near-god like status on these guys who pull of "miracles" and this does nothing but feed the ego-beast that inhabits all these athletes. Remeber Curt Schilling and the bloody sock? Remeber the shot of Y.A Tittle kneeling on the sod with blood pouring down his head and how immortal that picture has become. There is certainly a conflict of interest with the doctors being hired by the clubs, but there's also a conflict between these players and common sense.
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