Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="SU in Hershey, post: 2033688, member: 609"] As a Family Practice physician, I have been reading this and all the Eric Dungey related threads with great interest due to the multifaceted views on this complex issue. I am finally chiming in to echo a few points and offer my own "take". First of all, and maybe most importantly, I know Dr. Tucker. Although we have not conversed in quite some time, I have tremendous respect for him as a physician and a human being. If he told me that my son or daughter should not play their sport of choice, I would listen to his counsel. BUT...listening and heeding are two different things. If my child WANTED to continue to pursue the sport they love, I would absolutely seek an expert's opinion. I would do my due diligence and hopefully with the University's blessing and/or guidance, find an appropriate expert to consult. If that expert gave me a cogent argument as to why my child should or should not further pursue their passion, then that would be it. Getting more opinions until I found the one that I or my child "liked" would be counterproductive and maybe dangerous. As IthacaMatt pointed out, there are different levels of risk tolerance or aversion, so you have to accept the BEST answer you can get from the BEST expert you can find. The interesting question orangehomer raises is: Who is making that decision? They should absolutely have the best qualified opinion at their disposal, but does that mean they follow the expert's opinion, or their own legal advisors' opinion(s)? If there is a disagreement, is there still a path to play, and how would that work? The nuances of a potential negotiation (towards a "release" from liability) between the school and the player and his or her family would be so difficult to flesh out in some sort of legal document, that it likely wouldn't hold up in court (criminal maybe, but not civil...IthacaMatt can correct me on this as he is the expert here). Finally, at least for the moment anyway, the very diagnosis of concussions and their impact are still so nebulous yet so potentially devastating, I don't think one can develop an iron clad, everyone is happy, algorithm. To be asked, "If Eric Dungey takes one more hit to the head, could it have a negative impact on his health and well being in the future?" is an important question to try and give an appropriate response. But it is for him as an individual while facing the same risk for injury, but not necessarily consequence, as everyone else. Every player is one hit to the head, neck, back, knee, etc., from having their game, season, and/or career over, and maybe even their life, or at least what was to be their hoped-for quality of life. So how do we do right by Eric and every other member of the team? Like I said, I find this whole discussion fascinating and vexing at the same time. I love SU sports, but fear for the players and their families, too. I am so happy to have people like bcubs9497 and bambrewer provide their insights, because it is a glimpse into a world I don't know. But I hope that like all true fans, at the end of the day, we recognize these are kids transitioning to be young men. They entertain us, and we are appreciative. But, they are people with lives to be lived, someday, away from SU and away from sports. They are not gladiators. They deserve to have their futures protected. But they, along with their families, also deserve a voice in this process. I hope this is ultimately what happens, if not now, then sometime soon. Thanks for reading my ramblings... [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?