Coach Katie's Corner
By Katie Scripoch
By Katie Scripoch
In late September, the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, suffered two concussions in two consecutive games.
His first concussion was against the Buffalo Bills, where he was cleared to return for the second half of the game shortly after going into the locker room. His second concussion was only four days later, in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. In both games he displayed concussion-like symptoms almost immediately after he sustained the blows.
The questions soon followed, was it a matter of neglect from the on-site physician, were the concussion protocols not followed to keep Tagovailoa in the game, or are protocols not up to date?
Now imagine that it wasn’t an NFL quarterback that was injured, but a high schooler. With high schools having far less resources, how are traumatic brain injuries being prevented when resources aren’t as available?
Athletic safety shouldn’t be a privilege for athletes, it should be a priority. Not even half of California high schools have an athletic trainer available for their athletes, leaving them vulnerable to injuries.
It’s true, not all schools can afford a permanent athletic trainer. Instead, coaches should receive further training for common injuries among sports because athlete safety should be above everything.
His first concussion was against the Buffalo Bills, where he was cleared to return for the second half of the game shortly after going into the locker room. His second concussion was only four days later, in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. In both games he displayed concussion-like symptoms almost immediately after he sustained the blows.
The questions soon followed, was it a matter of neglect from the on-site physician, were the concussion protocols not followed to keep Tagovailoa in the game, or are protocols not up to date?
Now imagine that it wasn’t an NFL quarterback that was injured, but a high schooler. With high schools having far less resources, how are traumatic brain injuries being prevented when resources aren’t as available?
Athletic safety shouldn’t be a privilege for athletes, it should be a priority. Not even half of California high schools have an athletic trainer available for their athletes, leaving them vulnerable to injuries.
It’s true, not all schools can afford a permanent athletic trainer. Instead, coaches should receive further training for common injuries among sports because athlete safety should be above everything.