Seeking advice on crew management

[Reffing Rev.]

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?

[HLin NC]

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.

[jblowery]

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.

[Matt]

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.

[Texas Aggie]

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.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by Texas Aggie

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.

[BoomerSooner]

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.

[CT1]

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.