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Carl Spackler
Club Legend
- Jul 29, 2018
- 2,406
- 5,642
- AFL Club
- Hawthorn
Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-08-18/afl-flags-independent-concussion-officials-
Now to the rational mind, this looks like a pretty good idea. Remove the implied game result pressure from any game day concussion diagnosis.
But this is the AFL we're talking about. And we all know they love themselves a wobbly, opaque policy in the name of equalisation. And they like to use the word "independent" when describing them. I see it playing out a little bit like this...
Scene: Metricon Stadium - GCS v HAW
Early in the 2nd quarter.....
Yeah Clarko, it's Seb Guthrie here, the AFL Independent Concussion Officer. Bad news mate - Tom Mitchell has been diagnosed as concussed.
Clarko: What are you on about Seb - he's just had 3 clearances and delivered a perfect inside 50?
Yeah, yeah mate. It's pretty bad. He's done for the day I'm afraid. Luke Breust is not looking too good either.
Clarko: What sort of happy crappy are your trying to pull here Seb?
Don't be like that Clarko. Concussion is a serious problem and the AFL is a world leader in sports management. I'm just doing my job here. It's not my fault that Mitchell - and yeah, definitely Breust now as well - have been concussed today. Just as it was not my fault that Sicily was concussed during meal service on the flight up here and that Stratton was concussed running through the banner. Concussion is a complicated issue and the head must be sacrosanct.
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Stupid idea.
It questions the doctors’ oath to care for their patients with no evidence that doctors are shirking their oaths (which would have far greater consequences than this stupid idea).
Additionally, the AFL has consistently shown itself to be a highly political organisation that consistently makes questionable decisions based on preference rather than fact. Hardly a more trustworthy custodian for this responsibility than a club doctor.
In the Hall of Stupid Ideas this one should be put on display right next to Gil’s “play with the rules mid-season” brain fart. In fact, AFL 2018 could almost have it’s own dedicated room.