Recently I was Refereeing an OFF Seasons High School ages league......
A defensive player lost balance and fell backward, thumping her head on the court.
Following the National Federation of High School and the Arizona Interscholastic Association CONCUSSION Protocol Guidelines I instructed the Coach to remove the player from the game.
The PLAYER protested saying, "I hit my elbow, not my head."
The Coach protested saying, "She hit her Elbow and not her head."
I told them both I SAW her head bounce off the floor. She was out of the game until an authorized Medical practitioner could clear her to renter the game.
She stayed out the rest of the game....
I reported the possible Concussion to the Referee Coordinator and the League Director right after the game. BUT, she had another game immediately following and, as fate would have it, I was Refereeing that game, too......
Just prior to the start of the game the Referee Coordinator, League Director, Coach AND the Player's mother asked to speak with me.
"She says she did not hit her head. Only her elbow," was the claim, again.
I reminded the Coordinator & Director of our current National and State Concussion Protocol, saying, "A player will say anything to stay in a game, even that they did not injure something that they DID injure. I am not gonna risk her health for a Summer League Game OR my family's financial status by letting her play without proper Medical release and getting sued later by an attorney for letting her play if it turns out she did have a concussion."
The Mother, WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE MOST INTERESTED IN HER DAUGHTER'S HEALTH, was not happy at all, but the girl was not allowed to play the next game.
Why, oh why, would a parent or Coach risk a kid's health for a measly Summer League game?
Image "ouch." by Beth Rankin via Flickr, available and modified under a Creative Commons Attribution License
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