OT: We recruited this kid

[rwhitney014]

Vandy QB Patton Robinette is quitting football due to health concerns. Second Division I player this week to do so, after the Michigan center. We're going to start to see this more and more - and it's going to become incumbent on the schools to provide the best medical care (both prospectively and reflexively) possible in order to recruit talent. That will be the new facilities race.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/12568585/patton-robinette-vanderbilt-commodores-ends-playing-career-citing-health-concerns

 

[willycat]

I predict that this is a scary trend that has started in the NFL awhile back and is now spreading the colleges. this could filter down into the high school game and read that Pop Warner football is also seeing a fairly large decrease in participants. Don't blame these guys and it could eventually affect how the sport is now goverened and played.

 

[DaCat]

Didn't NU lose 2 kids this past season for this reason? Collin Ellis and Dwight White.

 

[NJCat83588]

No, Dwight White retired because he had only 1 kidney.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

Originally posted by willycat:
I predict that this is a scary trend that has started in the NFL awhile back and is now spreading the colleges. this could filter down into the high school game and read that Pop Warner football is also seeing a fairly large decrease in participants. Don't blame these guys and it could eventually affect how the sport is now goverened and played.

I would suggest it actually started with boxing. Seeing Mohammad Ali now as a mere shell of what he was in his prior life as Cassius Clay brings home the point.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Robinette is also WICKED smart -- transcript had all A's with the exception of one A- and a perfect 36 ACT. Guess you want to preserve a brain like that.

 

[Cat In The Cradle]

Excellent point. Also, I think the mindfulness derives from the relatively vast degree of safety that society now places on kids, ranging from mandatory bicycle helmets to car seats, none of which we had growing up. Back in the day, "playing hurt" was expected . . .

I wonder what extent these recent decisions - Borland, the MI and Vandy players - reflect a football player's independent awareness of the long term risks of repeated brain trauma versus a more knowledgeable and proactive physical training staff.

 

[realcatfan]

Originally posted by gocatsgo2003:

Robinette is also WICKED smart -- transcript had all A's with the exception of one A- and a perfect 36 ACT. Guess you want to preserve a brain like that.

I question the intelligence of anyone who bought into Franklin at Vandy over Fitz at NU. All book smarts, no street smarts I guess.

This post was edited on 3/27 5:13 PM by realcatfan

 

[GECat2]

DELIGHTED he committed to Vandy!

 

[Gladeskat]

Originally posted by realcatfan:

Originally posted by gocatsgo2003:

Robinette is also WICKED smart -- transcript had all A's with the exception of one A- and a perfect 36 ACT. Guess you want to preserve a brain like that.

I question the intelligence of anyone who bought into Franklin at Vandy over Fitz at NU. All book smarts, no street smarts I guess.

This post was edited on 3/27 5:13 PM by realcatfan

Maybe he wanted to be closer to home. Does that mean he has no smarts? Maybe he saw that real facilities upgrades were being built at Vandy while Fitz could only offer promises (the facilities had already been mentioned in the media in 2011).

 

[Deeringfish]

Seems to me. Football has been trying to reform things but really needs to go into hyperdrive with some kind of symposium or think tank at every level to make changes across the board re rules, equipment, playing surface, medical protocols and what ever else anyone can think of. It is a great sport but changes need to happen to radically reduce the danger without materially changing the game.