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  #1 (permalink)  
Old Tue Oct 18, 2016, 04:57pm
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Seeking advice on crew management

An official on the crew for which I am crew chief has blacked out on the field in 3 games over 2 seasons. Twice this year. After the first time this year he was diagnosed with a concussion and after a week was "cleared" to return to full activity. 5 weeks later (last Friday) he blacked out. He says his primary doctor clears him but that he can't drive or work alone. He wants to be on the field.

The rest of the crew had a conference call and discussed the situation. 1. We are concerned for his well-being. 2. We aren't comfortable going into games, especially at the end of the season worried we might end up a 4-man crew. 3. We are of the opinion if he has those restrictions, then he shouldn't be cleared to officiate, it's not fair to the players/game.

As crew chief I informed him of our concerns and that we won't be needing him the rest of the season. He is upset.

Officiating brethren, what say you? Right call? Bad call? A better way to handle it?
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Old Tue Oct 18, 2016, 07:09pm
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Agree with your decision, hard as it may be.

Somebody might want to refer him to a neurologist. Something else would seem to be going on.
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Old Tue Oct 18, 2016, 07:11pm
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Not a lot of details on how you explained it to him but based on what you said it doesn't seem like you did anything wrong. I think most people in his position would feel hurt no matter how you explained it to him. It's not an easy thing to accept. We're all going to get to that point eventually, if we're lucky and don't die young.
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Old Tue Oct 18, 2016, 07:44pm
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I get the concern. However, assuming he's being honest with and about his doctor, there may be a medical concern that is not at risk on the field (for example, with those restrictions, it may be something that is related to inactivity, in which case officiating might help him.)

This is going to be a tough line to toe, because it's going to be difficult to continue as a crew when you don't have confidence in his health, and it's going to be difficult to have confidence in his health without asking for some very personal information. Whether that's a discussion you and/or he are willing to have is the big question.
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Old Tue Oct 18, 2016, 10:50pm
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You can't let him come on the field. If the doctor restricts him from driving, it is for a good reason. The same reason would apply to officiating.

He needs a clean and clear bill of health before my association would let him continue. Perhaps your association needs a policy stating as much. You might even consider having him see another doctor at the association's expense to get a second opinion.

It sucks for the guy, but to me, this isn't anywhere near a difficult decision. It may be difficult for him to accept, but not for the association (or you) to administer. He doesn't need to be working anyway. His health should be paramount.
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 01:03am
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Originally Posted by Texas Aggie View Post
You can't let him come on the field. If the doctor restricts him from driving, it is for a good reason. The same reason would apply to officiating.

He needs a clean and clear bill of health before my association would let him continue. Perhaps your association needs a policy stating as much. You might even consider having him see another doctor at the association's expense to get a second opinion.
He's cleared for officiating, according to him.
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 01:31am
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Couple of points on the medical aspects:
1. A doctor's decision to restrict someone from driving is almost always made in the interest of public safety. Losing consciousness while operating a 2-ton hunk of metal presents a danger to the public. Losing consciousness on a football field probably creates a danger only to the person losing consciousness. Furthermore, some states require a doctor to notify the appropriate state agency (DMV, DHS, DPS, etc) when making a certain or prescribing certain medications. Having restrictions imposed because of such a diagnosis or prescription doesn't indicate a person isn't fit to do anything else.

2. The history you gave doesn't say much about the officials actual medical issue. The diagnosis of a concussion after he "blacked out" is a stretch unless he also has some history of head trauma. I'm not saying he does or does not have a history of head trauma, but it is entirely possible the concussion was the result of the fall after "blacking out". Ultimately my point is that it doesn't sound like anyone knows the cause of his "blacking out" (except hopefully the guy's doctor).

3. The issue may not be neurological in nature. He could be Hypotensive and forgot to take his medication on the days of the incidents in question. Diabetes is another possibility. Narcolepsy could be the issue, albeit some would classify this as a neurological condition. In any of these cases, a doctor might recommend driving (public safety) and/or work restrictions (not working alone due to concern of what could happen if nobody is around to help if he forgets his Ned's or falls and hits his head), yet give clearance to officiate because those same concerns don't apply to officiating.

From an officiating standpoint, I don't think it is unreasonable to ask him to be open with those of you on the crew about the details of his condition. For one, you can't help him if he has another episode. Secondly, if the episodes are preventable, the accountability created may motivate him to be compliant with his medications. Ultimately if he doesn't want to elaborate, you have to be clear with him about your concerns for his safety/health as well as the performance of the group. If he's still unwilling to help you understand his situation, I think you are justified in not wanting to have him on your crew.
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Last edited by BoomerSooner; Wed Oct 19, 2016 at 01:34am. Reason: Spelling
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 08:28am
CT1 CT1 is offline
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Don't know about your area, but around here, we would likely give him an opportunity to work a clock until he's fully healthy.
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 08:56am
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Originally Posted by CT1 View Post
Don't know about your area, but around here, we would likely give him an opportunity to work a clock until he's fully healthy.
Compromise is always a good idea. Concern for his health is the primary issue, and there are few circumstances worse than Umpiring a football game, if avoiding potential collisions is an ever present threat.

If "timing" a game is either not an available possibility, you might suggest using the Umpire to evaluate your crew from the press box (if allowable) or the sidelines, to keep him involved with the crew.

Not to sound childish, but suggesting his getting a "note from his doctor" addressing the risk of exposing himself to the potential of collisions (major & minor) inherent to the Umpire's environment, may be helpful (to both of you).
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 09:04am
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I'm reading this with interest because let's say it does turn out that the cause of all these "blackouts" was indeed a concussion, or intracranial trauma that accompanied concussion. It shows that the return-to-activity protocols are unreliable. I've never been shown evidence for the protocol that's gotten wide acceptance now; seems it was just arrived at by committee out of nothing, just for the sake of having a standard answer to cover asses.
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 09:34am
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As a long time white hat, I have had to deal with an aging official's medical shortcomings.

The first time I was 35 and had an umpire in his mid-50's. We didn't see each other much during the off-season. First game of the year, he is on the ground 4 or 5 times. He was never like that. The next morning, really early, I get a call from his daughter. She asked if he worked the night before. When affirmed, she informed me that he had a stroke during the summer and was banned from officiating. She guessed he didn't tell me. I found myself a new umpire within an hour.

The last time was 15-years ago and I had an official who was fighting dementia. We let him work one last year but it was bad. I had to tell him we were going a different direction the next year.

I respected both of these guys greatly. To say it was difficult to cut them loose is an understatement. However, we have a responsibility to protect kids. We also need to protect the officials. I think being the boss prepared me for the talk. Both left with no hard feelings. The first guy even thanked me for making the decision for him.

Tough calls to make.
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 03:41pm
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Quote:
He's cleared for officiating, according to him.
That's a question for your association, not him.

Boomer makes a REALLY GOOD case for someone to be EMPLOYABLE for most things. Sitting at the desk, answering the phone, perhaps even sales or light warehouse work. It doesn't, to me, make a case that its OK for someone to be on the field. He couldn't be a Secret Service agent, for example. He has a history of blacking out on the field -- not everywhere BUT the field where the condition on presents itself in theory. He could black out at a moment he needs to move out of the way, get hit and suffer a very serious injury.

Last edited by Texas Aggie; Wed Oct 19, 2016 at 03:46pm.
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 03:51pm
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Quote:
Narcolepsy
I have this problem, but it only seems to appear in the morning about the time I need to get up.

I'm not jealous about much of anything -- someone's house, car, bank account, wife, etc. For the most part, I couldn't care less. But I AM insanely jealous of people who can rise out of bed early and still feel well rested. I hunt down and torture people that say they're morning people (by having them listen to me tell them what I said in this paragraph!!).
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 04:32pm
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Originally Posted by Texas Aggie View Post
But I AM insanely jealous of people who can rise out of bed early and still feel well rested.
Just curious and feel free not to answer but have you had a sleep study done?
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Old Wed Oct 19, 2016, 06:36pm
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Originally Posted by Texas Aggie View Post
That's a question for your association, not him.
Umm, not when it comes to medical clearance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas Aggie View Post
Boomer makes a REALLY GOOD case for someone to be EMPLOYABLE for most things. Sitting at the desk, answering the phone, perhaps even sales or light warehouse work. It doesn't, to me, make a case that its OK for someone to be on the field. He couldn't be a Secret Service agent, for example. He has a history of blacking out on the field -- not everywhere BUT the field where the condition on presents itself in theory. He could black out at a moment he needs to move out of the way, get hit and suffer a very serious injury.
Boomer was making the same point I was.
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