Rare heart condition linked with COVID

[SkinyUte]

Looks like this is one of the key drivers behind the potential cancellation.  There’s no way any school takes that risk.  Hopefully we know more by either spring or next fall as to the impact here.

A rare heart condition that could be linked with the coronavirus is fueling concern among Power 5 conference administrators about the viability of college sports this fall.

Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among several other athletes in other conferences, according to two sources with knowledge of athletes’ medical care.

The condition is usually caused by a viral infection, including those that cause the common cold, H1N1 influenza or mononucleosis. Left undiagnosed and untreated, it can cause heart damage and sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal. It is a rare condition, but the COVID-19 virus has been linked with myocarditis with a higher frequency than other viruses, based on limited studies and anecdotal evidence since the start of the pandemic.

The concern has “made the bar higher” for returning to fall sports, said Dr. Jonathan Drezner, director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology and a sports medicine physician who advises the NCAA on cardiac issues, “and it could be we don’t get there.”

 

[pics]

Yet Riley and the espn700 crew continue to insist there’s little risk for young finely tuned athletes if they get the virus.

[CB]

Cause it’s true

[gUrthBrooks]

Yes, plus “could be linked”, “condition is also cause by common cold, Flu, Mono”, “it’s a rare condition”, “limited studies”, and “anecdotal evidence”. Sheesh. Where’s the discernment of the readers and media these days. 

[Thlete]

I’m still not convinced that the players are safer outside the constant medical care they get at school vs being regular students or going home to do who knows what. The heart condition isn’t football related, it’s a virus related rare condition, so they could likely have higher chance of getting that if not being constantly monitored by school medical staff while training.

I think PAC just needs to define strict protocols like Utah has been seeing success with and they would be good to go. Right now there is no such uniform guidance so everything is up in the air. Really bad leadership at the conference level to have gone this far without doing so. They made Conference only schedule so they could control protocols and then never defined them. Players started to panic a bit without much structure to officially support them and we got #WeAreUnited. Derp.

[Utesbyfive]

Yep, they could just as easily develop Myocarditis after Catching Covid on the gridiron as at a house party.

[UtMtBiker]

But schools aren’t responsible for you at a house party.  They are responsible for your safety while playing a sport that they are paying you to play. 

You could just as easily get TBE from falling off a motorcycle without a helmet as getting hit on the football field but the school isn’t responsible for what happens to you on a motorcycle.  

[S.CarolinaUte]

You did read it is associated with H1N1 and common cold…Covid is suspected but not confirmed… So these athletes could catch it just as easily from the flu/cold as covid.  So do we shut down until we have a cure for H1N1-Flu-Mono and covid?

[Central Coast Ute]

^^^ this. You took the words out of my mouth thlete. Canceling sports doesnt guarantee anything other than you can’t blame the university if you get it. So go home, do your thing and dont get tested like you would if sports were still going.

[UtMtBiker]

It’s not about if they are safer or not. It’s about the liability that you open yourself up to when you tell the students that they need to come and play and you take on the responsibility of testing and keeping them safe. If you are not doing all that you can do to ensure the safety of the students, you’re negligent. 

Right now it can be argued that there’s a legitimate safety concern and no doubt the conferences and universities have a whole bunch of attorney’s advising how this will go for them in court when (not if) a student-athlete is damaged by contracting the virus while participating in order to keep his scholarship.  

damages + negligence = $$$ 

[Thlete]

Is that not mitigated by everyone having the option to opt out f playing while getting to keep their scholarship? Seems that removes the “forcing them to play” part of the liability

[noneyadb]

A conference does not release a schedule to turn around and cancel the season a few days later. This is about the player unionization. FCS and G5 schools do not have the funds to cover a season with 1- stadium capacity reduced. 2- key games with P5 opponents cancelled. 3- having to cover the cost of testing a staff of 200+ people every week.

If schools are liable for students contracting the virus while at school, then EVERY school and business should be shut down…

[EagleMountainUte]

Ignoring CTE for years suddenly this Corona virus with all of the bunk science scares them. Pretty interesting.