Trainer in the spotlight
 

With the emphasis on "signs, symptoms and behaviors" of a concussion getting so much emphasis, it was only a matter of time until this happened:

New Mission flap over bad concussion call wins no sympathy from MIAA | Boston Herald

And the moral of the story is...travel with your own trainer during the playoffs.

I'd love to hear the losing coach explain why the league-sponsored trainer wasn't there.

Frankly, I'm much more interested to hear the accusing coach's reason for believing that a trained medical staffer would intentionally misdiagnose a client (probably not correct to call her a "patient") to get a competitive advantage in a game.

These trainers (and I know several personally) are not pulled out of the stands at the last second. They're not "fans". They're there to treat medical problems. If I were this trainer, I would find it almost slanderous to suggest what the coach is saying.

The fact is that the trainer was following STATE LAW by removing the player if the player had blurred vision as a result of a blow to the head. That's a symptom consistent with a concussion; so she's gotta come out of the game and be cleared.

The fact that the coach would actually say out loud that the trainer misdiagnosed the player says more about the coach than it does about the trainer, IMHO.

Agreed. My first thoughts were not about the character of the trainer, but of the Coach who would make public statements like this.

Pretty despicable move by the coach. The diagnosis at the hospital was no concussion, but a bruised cornea. So this coach would prefer she play with a bruised cornea?

Further, coach claims other coaches feel the same as her: “A lot of coaches have called to thank me for doing this. They have expressed their own concerns regarding this as well. Hopefully the city listens and decides to do something about this.”

I'd like to see a list of those coaches.

MIAA should discipline the coach for accusing the trainer. What a jack a$$.

I doubt there's such a list. If there is, he probably keeps it right next to the names of "the last officials" who let him get away with whatever BS he tries every game. Either that, or the list includes 3 officials from his staff.

And if I was the trainer involved, I would consider suing him for libel.

I'm not feeling sorry for the coach here at all. I'm assuming that the trainer was acting in the name of safety first.

That said, I am curious how this played out. Did the trainer see the hit? The article simply says that the player was "poked in the eye". If the trainer didn't see the play, and the injured player tells them that they were poked in the eye, I'm curious as to what led the trainer to think this could be concussion symptoms (as opposed to poked in the eye symptoms).

Ultimately though, it shouldn't matter. If the nature of the eye injury alone caused the trainer concern, that should be enough in my opinion

Proper name for these healthcare professionals is "Athletic Trainer" and March is National Athletic Training Month. Please use the proper terminology when addressing them at your games.

Article uses the incorrect terminology as well but "athletic trainer" was recently added to the AP style guide.

Thank you, they will appreciate being addressed correctly.