Syracuse football defensive tackle Steven Clark's career put in jeopardy by blood clots

[007]

Update: I got a response from Mary E Kelly, signed by Wildhack.

Basically, thank you for your thoughts...health and wellness of our student athletes is of "paramount importance"..."any decision is made solely by our team physician"..."I support the decisions of our medical staff and their commitment to the health of our student athletes."

Very predictable, canned, public response. I expected nothing more. My hope is that the volume of emails might result in some degree of behind the scenes discussion.

I encourage others to email the administration, even though the response will be identical. It's the number of emails that might have some type of impact.

 

[007]

I got the response I assuemed I would get:
Good afternoon, PAcuse,


Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the issue of student-athlete medical welfare. Of paramount importance to Syracuse Athletics is the health and wellness of our students-athletes. Any decision to medically disqualify a player is made solely by our team physician. As Director of Athletics, I support the decisions of our medical staff and their commitment to the health of our student-athletes.

Thank you for your interest and support of SU Athletics.

Sincerely,
John

John Wildhack
Director of Athletics

T 315.443.8705 M 315.560.7223
jwildhac

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Manley Field House
1301 E. Colvin Street
Syracuse, NY 13244
syr.edu | cuse.com

Word for word response I received.

 

[PhatOrange]

Tucker at this point is akin to Will Hicks. It's time to move on.

 

[bcubs9497]

Circling the wagons, I suppose.

 

[PAcuse]

Word for word response I received.

Yeah it came from Mary Kelly so I'm assuming they just sent out a mass email to all of us.

 

[SUforme]

Good afternoon, Mr. ____,



Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the issue of student-athlete medical welfare. Of paramount importance to Syracuse Athletics is the health and wellness of our students-athletes. Any decision to medically disqualify a player is made solely by our team physician. As Director of Athletics, I support the decisions of our medical staff and their commitment to the health of our student-athletes.



Thank you for your interest and support of SU Athletics.



Sincerely,



John

 

[007]

Yeah it came from Mary Kelly so I'm assuming they just sent out a mass email to all of us.

No doubt

 

[Alsacs]

I would rather no response than this cookie cutter faux BS crap.

Fine you can't do anything but now I am going to assume this crap played a factor into Mark Coyle leaving so quickly.

 

[dasher]

I would rather no response than this cookie cutter faux BS crap.

Fine you can't do anything but now I am going to assume this crap played a factor into Mark Coyle leaving so quickly.

I doubt it had anything to do with Coyle leaving. He got what he thought and may be right, a better job at a place he loved.

 

[Cusefan69]

My guess is Wildhack already had a feel for the sentiment of this site. When he first joined SU as AD I could have sworn someone said he used to post here and even posted his tag. I would bet the rent he still swings in and reads some of the boards comments. I still think it's a good exercise what everyone is doing but I am thinking he already had a sense...on a separate note...bcubs sorry to hear about what you, Steve and the family are going through...as a fan I wish him the best and I get the sense he will be very successful no matter what...he was a favorite of mine because of how he played on the field and his words of support for the military guys and gals when the team would head up to Drum ...go Cuse!

 

[SUforme]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

I don't think anyone on here thinks they are doctors. The problem people are seeing is a pattern of players getting DQ'd at Syracuse and being given the green light elsewhere, up to five other doctors disagree with the conclusion of Dr. Tucker.

 

[javadoc]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

What? A GP's informed opinion contrary to a panel of specialists'?

 

[Alsacs]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

This post is right out of what I would expect from Deadspin. Congrats. Too bad this isn't on twitter as you would get tons of twitter applause.

If you can't see the frustration after the transparent information the father of the player has provided and from the Kyle Knapp's dad information then okay. Continue with the Deadspin type crap.

 

[djorange1989]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

we aren't doctors, but five specialists say Clark can play and one dopey GP says he can't, so we are listening to the five specialists. None of us want any harm to come to Steven or any other kid, but this situation is clearly a team doctor who won't admit he is wrong, and now a kid and his family are forced to make a really tough decision that they shouldn't have to make.

 

[Newhouser]

Bcubs - did you expect any other result? I didn't but still am mad as he!!...will be sending an email soon as well.

Tucker is a stubborn, old and egotistical man who is stuck in the past. FADMC wanted the process changed or Tucker gone because he's NOT QUALIFIED to run the medical staff at a P5 level university and this ordeal with Steven especially confirms what you've gone through with the absolute broken DQ process and a lack of an appeal process based upon new medical evidence and diagnosis - obviously worse than I ever imagined because there simply is no PROFESSIONAL DQ process in place at SU.

Wildhack has no basis for comparison. The only hope for Steven at this point is for Tucker to be FIRED immediately before the end of next week (I know highly unlikely but miracles do happen) and get a qualified doc with sports medicine background and experience to head up the medical group at SU.

Best of luck wherever Steven ends up. It's positively mind boggling so many other universities will take him. May want to shop around I'm sure some SEC teams will take Steven...ACC may not take him out of respect for another ACC team but how ironic would it be if he played against us in the future.

FADMC gets flamed here but he- or someone in his office using his name - quickly responded to a couple of situations I had during his brief tenure here. E-mails sent, responses sent back quick and problems fixed.

 

[bcubs9497]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

Glad to know you're disputing the informed opinion of 5 Drs (was four until DiFino changed his opinion after speaking with Dr Kouides).

 

[bcubs9497]

FADMC gets flamed here but he- or someone in his office using his name - quickly responded to a couple of situations I had during his brief tenure here. E-mails sent, responses sent back quick and problems fixed.

I certainly was one. Somebody several posts back said Coyle was trying his level best to get rid of Tucker. Might have crow to eat...

 

[Pyle]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

His informed medical opinion refuted by 4 others certified to be more informed that him? Why don't you stop playing the token lemming and see what everyone else is seeing. Tucker thinks he is above all of it, we have a problem Houston. I've been saying it since they DQ'd AJ and everyone told me to shut it, the doc knows best, years later and the same pattern of a non-specialist ignoring the recommendations of others simply to cover his own arse. Tucker may be a great family doc, but he's a POS team physician.

 

[djorange1989]

Good afternoon, Mr. ____,



Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the issue of student-athlete medical welfare. Of paramount importance to Syracuse Athletics is the health and wellness of our students-athletes. Any decision to medically disqualify a player is made solely by our team physician. As Director of Athletics, I support the decisions of our medical staff and their commitment to the health of our student-athletes.



Thank you for your interest and support of SU Athletics.



Sincerely,



John

Hey, I got the same response, gee I thought it was actually a personal response from Wildhack! not.

 

[Pyle]

Always two sides to every story. Obviously we're not going to hear the other side of things. Steven isn't being forced to stay at SU, if he wants to play he can go elsewhere. I'd like him to play here but the sky isn't falling.

Wrong the other side of the story is....

Every other doctor that they have talked to has cleared him, everyone one of them was more qualified than Tucker the ...

 

[Toga]

Glad to know that 90% of the syracusefan.com board are doctors. I'll definitely come on here the next time I need a medical opinion.

While I'd love Steven to be able to play for SU, I'm not a doctor, so I won't argue with the decision to disqualify him. I hope he succeeds with his degree from this institution or gets the opportunity to play at another school.

Let's pump the brakes on trying to get a guy fired for his informed medical opinion.

I'll take the opinion of #3.5 specialists to that of the family practitioner representing the school that caused him to have the problem in the first place.

 

[karhre2003]

I got the response I assuemed I would get:
Good afternoon, PAcuse,


Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the issue of student-athlete medical welfare. Of paramount importance to Syracuse Athletics is the health and wellness of our students-athletes. Any decision to medically disqualify a player is made solely by our team physician. As Director of Athletics, I support the decisions of our medical staff and their commitment to the health of our student-athletes.

Thank you for your interest and support of SU Athletics.

Sincerely,
John

John Wildhack
Director of Athletics

T 315.443.8705 M 315.560.7223
jwildhac

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Manley Field House
1301 E. Colvin Street
Syracuse, NY 13244
syr.edu | cuse.com

Received the exact same response.

 

[djorange1989]

Always two sides to every story. Obviously we're not going to hear the other side of things. Steven isn't being forced to stay at SU, if he wants to play he can go elsewhere. I'd like him to play here but the sky isn't falling.

He isn't being forced to stay, but he is being forced to decide if he wants to stay and quit football or leave and continue to play and that isn't ok. It's easy to say the sky isn't falling but you aren't Steven Clark and you don't have to make this decision. Why are you trusting a GP when multiple specialists are clearing the kid?

 

[chugg21]

I doubt it had anything to do with Coyle leaving. He got what he thought and may be right, a better job at a place he loved.

Come on, no need to rain on the parade with actual logic.

 

[javadoc]

Received the exact same response.

Same here. It's all I expected and am fine with it. At least they have noted it.