Injuries are as much a part of football's culture as blocking and tackling, but after the passage of recent legislation, how they are reported has changed.
For years, the football injury report has been a staple of information readily available and released for public consumption on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.
In the past, schools would release the names of the injured, what the injury was and their playing status, i.e.: "John Doe (sprained right knee) is doubtful."
In 1996, however, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Bill Clinton. It went into effect this past April. The HIPAA law, which is designed to protect insurance coverages by keeping a client's health information private, will have an impact on college athletics.
How much of an impact, however, remains to be seen.
"This is a federal law and something we have to abide by," Louisiana Tech athletics director Jim Oakes said. "It's going to take some discipline within the program and an understanding among writers and fans that are accustomed to receiving injury information previously."
While football teams all across the country are toiling in the August heat preparing for the upcoming season, sports information directors and trainers are feverishly working to iron out their policies for releasing injury information this year.
At the University of Louisiana at Monroe, head trainer David Overturf said the new law will force the school to slightly change its injury release policy.
"Our kids will sign a standard release allowing us to release that information and we will give the injury information to the sports information department," Overturf said. "The injury report will come from the sports information department. It's not going to affect us a lot."
Overturf says there are lot of questions as to which parties the law was intended to impact. He said ULM will operate under the umbrella of the Buckley Amendment, a 1974 law that prohibits the release of student information, unless the student signs a formal release giving permission.
Even though the sports information office will release a formal injury report, there will be an overall tighter grip on the release of injury information. For instance, head coach Charlie Weatherbie will not discuss player injuries at the weekly Quarterback Club Luncheon or with the media.
"We've looked at what a lot of other people are doing and decided to release the minimum amount of information as possible," Overturf said.
Tech officials, however, are taking a stricter stance.
"We are a litigious society today and this is another extension of legal liability being extended into college athletics," Oakes said. "We have to be very careful to protect ourselves from liability."
Said Tech head trainer Bob Burns: "There will be a big change in the whole release of information. We are not allowed to release any information until told differently by our lawyers."
Burns cited a possible $250,000 fine and a prison term of 10 years for misuse of health information as a deterrent.
As a result, Tech will not release any injury information during the season. The only person who can talk about a specific injury is the player himself.
"Everybody has the individual right to say if he is hurt or not," Tech sophomore running back Ryan Moats said. "I think (players) will be open to it unless it is something big. I guess it depends on what the injury is."
The biggest challenge may lie with coaches, who have openly discussed injuries in the past.
"The biggest burden is going to be on the coaches to realize they can't say anything," Tech media relations director Malcolm Butler said. "It may actually make my job easier, but there is going to be quite a learning curve for the coaches."
The lack of injury information will not only make life more difficult for media covering athletics, but it could also present problems for coaches putting together scouting reports and professional scouts trying to find out about a potential prospect.
More than ever, coaches will have to rely on their matrix of connections across the country to find out information about players of opposing teams. It would be nice for a defensive coordinator to know ahead of time, for instance, whether an injured starting quarterback - perhaps a pocket passer - would play instead of his backup, a scrambler.
"It could account for some surprises on the field on Saturdays," Tech junior defensive tackle Chris Van Hoy said.
Another potential problem could be the effort of gamblers to get closer to programs to obtain critical injury information.
In a September 2002 article in the Tucson Citizen, Arizona coach John Mackovic expressed a real concern about the gambling issue. Mackovic said he could envision a scenario where gamblers offer money to players and trainers for access to injury information.
"They will do whatever they need to do to get information," Mackovic said. "What people should realize when you are dealing with organized crime and illegal betting, a lot of it may be connected; they play for keeps."
For years, the football injury report has been a staple of information readily available and released for public consumption on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.
In the past, schools would release the names of the injured, what the injury was and their playing status, i.e.: "John Doe (sprained right knee) is doubtful."
In 1996, however, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Bill Clinton. It went into effect this past April. The HIPAA law, which is designed to protect insurance coverages by keeping a client's health information private, will have an impact on college athletics.
How much of an impact, however, remains to be seen.
"This is a federal law and something we have to abide by," Louisiana Tech athletics director Jim Oakes said. "It's going to take some discipline within the program and an understanding among writers and fans that are accustomed to receiving injury information previously."
While football teams all across the country are toiling in the August heat preparing for the upcoming season, sports information directors and trainers are feverishly working to iron out their policies for releasing injury information this year.
At the University of Louisiana at Monroe, head trainer David Overturf said the new law will force the school to slightly change its injury release policy.
"Our kids will sign a standard release allowing us to release that information and we will give the injury information to the sports information department," Overturf said. "The injury report will come from the sports information department. It's not going to affect us a lot."
Overturf says there are lot of questions as to which parties the law was intended to impact. He said ULM will operate under the umbrella of the Buckley Amendment, a 1974 law that prohibits the release of student information, unless the student signs a formal release giving permission.
Even though the sports information office will release a formal injury report, there will be an overall tighter grip on the release of injury information. For instance, head coach Charlie Weatherbie will not discuss player injuries at the weekly Quarterback Club Luncheon or with the media.
"We've looked at what a lot of other people are doing and decided to release the minimum amount of information as possible," Overturf said.
Tech officials, however, are taking a stricter stance.
"We are a litigious society today and this is another extension of legal liability being extended into college athletics," Oakes said. "We have to be very careful to protect ourselves from liability."
Said Tech head trainer Bob Burns: "There will be a big change in the whole release of information. We are not allowed to release any information until told differently by our lawyers."
Burns cited a possible $250,000 fine and a prison term of 10 years for misuse of health information as a deterrent.
As a result, Tech will not release any injury information during the season. The only person who can talk about a specific injury is the player himself.
"Everybody has the individual right to say if he is hurt or not," Tech sophomore running back Ryan Moats said. "I think (players) will be open to it unless it is something big. I guess it depends on what the injury is."
The biggest challenge may lie with coaches, who have openly discussed injuries in the past.
"The biggest burden is going to be on the coaches to realize they can't say anything," Tech media relations director Malcolm Butler said. "It may actually make my job easier, but there is going to be quite a learning curve for the coaches."
The lack of injury information will not only make life more difficult for media covering athletics, but it could also present problems for coaches putting together scouting reports and professional scouts trying to find out about a potential prospect.
More than ever, coaches will have to rely on their matrix of connections across the country to find out information about players of opposing teams. It would be nice for a defensive coordinator to know ahead of time, for instance, whether an injured starting quarterback - perhaps a pocket passer - would play instead of his backup, a scrambler.
"It could account for some surprises on the field on Saturdays," Tech junior defensive tackle Chris Van Hoy said.
Another potential problem could be the effort of gamblers to get closer to programs to obtain critical injury information.
In a September 2002 article in the Tucson Citizen, Arizona coach John Mackovic expressed a real concern about the gambling issue. Mackovic said he could envision a scenario where gamblers offer money to players and trainers for access to injury information.
"They will do whatever they need to do to get information," Mackovic said. "What people should realize when you are dealing with organized crime and illegal betting, a lot of it may be connected; they play for keeps."
GL