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From smudailycampus.com:

‘People just aren’t listening’: SMU Football Players Voice Concerns Over Return Plan, Signed Document
2020/06/18
KEVIN REYNOLDS
Editor’s note: The student-athletes in this story asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of their comments and potential repercussions for speaking out.

As SMU’s athletic department begins the process of bringing back 75 student-athletes to campus, several returnees are voicing concerns over their safety.

Four SMU football players, who chose to remain anonymous out of fear for the repercussions of talking publicly, spoke with The Daily Campus about the COVID-19 liability waivers and “inadequate” safety protocol measures.

SMU required all players to sign a document titled the “Acknowledgement of Risk for Covid-19 Summer 2020” by Wednesday, the first of three possible return days to voluntary workouts for student-athletes.

The form was aimed at absolving the university of potential legal risk for those who contract the virus while going through summer workouts. The document was first reported by Sam Blum of The Dallas Morning News and was later confirmed by three student-athletes, across two sports, by The Daily Campus.

To read this article in its entirety, CLICK HERE.

I have a question for the lawyers/med. pros on here. Say a athlete tests positive after returning to SMU. Can the tracers be positive how said student contracted the virus? If not, can the University still be sued. Let's assume SNU is following all existing guidelines properly. Is there no personal responsibility? Or just bad luck? Explain to me SMU's vulnerability if you will.

Disappointing that we are only testing the players once. The odds of someone catching it are pretty high unless they are kept in a bubble on campus. Without tests, it will run through the team pretty quickly because they will spread it before they feel symptoms.

If they aren't going to have a formal testing program, they should at least eliminate the indoors activities. Minimize the risk as much a possible.

I understand their concerns giving the narrative that the country has been given. Fact is that they have a much better chance of death from heart failure in the Texas heat, paralysis, career ending injury, CTE or a number of other things than they do of dying from corona. Play or don’t play. But nothing we do in life is guaranteed to be 100% safe.

Let's say that's true.

All those things are know risks when a player starts playing football.

But the risk of those things PLUS covid is a higher risk that some players or their parents more than they want to take on.

I'm glad it's a decision I don't have to make.

Covid right now is the third leading cause of death in DFW. Heart conditions number 1, cancer number 2, and Covid number three.

So, sure, you absolutely could die from heart disease or anything else. But right now you are adding a third factor to the list that wasn't there before.

As Ikus stated, I don't envy them for having to make that decision. I am going through the same thing with my kid and resuming soccer, complete with the waiver and everything.

People are going to make individual decisions, but I don't think it is right to dismiss the risk like it doesn't really exist.

Balanced with all that, you do have to factor in the fact that doctors are strongly incentivized to diagnose COVID-19. I think they get an extra $1,300 per patient, $3,900 if ventilation is required.

Ponyboy, can you verify those two values?

JasonB

Can you please tell us what data in the links below justifies you reinforcing the baseless fears of these football players?

0 confirmed deaths under the age of 20 In the entire state (11 confirmed deaths under the age of 30 in the entire state).

~45% of reported deaths in the state are in nursing homes and assisted living facilities (976/2,165)

72% of confirmed deaths are over the age of 65 (only 12% of cases)

Th mortality rate in NH/ALFs is 14.8% (976 deaths / 6,608 cases)

The mortality rate if you live outside a NH/ALF is 1.2% (1,189/101,127)

If you remove the disproportionate impact of NH/ALFs from the numbers, cv19 comes in tied for the 8th leading cause of death in Texas at 15.4 deaths/100,000 just in front of septicemia and the flu which come in at 12 deaths/100,000. In other words, a .015% chance of dying from cv19 outside a NH/ALF vs. a .012% chance of dying from septicemia or the flu. As a point of comparison, 100% of people who eat carrots...die (eventually).

If you live outside a NH or ALF, you’re almost as likely to die in a car accident In Texas as you are from CV19 (~10 traffic fatalities/day vs ~12 cv19 deaths/day). Maybe we should ban the wheel. I guess it’s a good thing the players live on campus and don’t have to drive to practices/games.

I realize this board is meant to be apolitical, but relevant facts are always important when it comes to protecting the sanctity of football in Texas. This board should not be used to knowingly or unknowingly pass along misinformation that reinforces baseless fears. Football and sports are meant to be an escape from the insanity of the real world. Let’s not let those outlets become infected by political agendas that seek to tear down and destroy.

As long as Sonny isn’t looking to round out his roster from the Texas Nursing Home Transfer Portal, I think the players will be fine (at least, that’s what the data tells us).

Time to put on our big boy pants, Pony Up and play some football!!!

P.S. Ponyboy - the statistic is that Medicare pays hospitals $13,000/cv patient and $39,000 for cv patients that go on ventilators. Part of the CARES act. The controversy is about whether or not hospitals are inflating their case counts to get money - no verified examples of that happening.

http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-in ... 2018/a.pdf

https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/COVI ... ities.aspx

https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ops ... b9cafc8b83

https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ops ... b9cafc8b83

https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ops ... b9cafc8b83

I just gave up eating carrots

mrydel wrote:I just gave up eating carrots

I love to dip them in ranch.

FYI If you can't beat them join them.
Buy MRNA - Moderna - GERM ETF

https://twitter.com/kyleumlang/status/1 ... 01120?s=21


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Interesting list, ponysnob. I didn't realize so many schools were reporting so many.

How long until Trevor Lawrence or Penei Sewell or Ja'marr Chase or Justin Fields - all projected to be at the top of next year's draft - refuses to play? And how do schools and conferences react to that?

Until we know what long term damage Covid19 can cause for those infected I think it is premature to call the players' fears of the virus baseless. And it isn't just about keeping the student athletes safe. Its keeping those in their social circle safe as well. The fewer people with the virus in circulation the fewer of those with complicating conditions that will die. I am getting the feeling that this season may not happen or that it will be an abbreviated schedule as I think many programs may not participate. Just a feeling I am getting after seeing MLB shutting down their camps this week.

ponyboy wrote:Balanced with all that, you do have to factor in the fact that doctors are strongly incentivized to diagnose COVID-19. I think they get an extra $1,300 per patient, $3,900 if ventilation is required.

That is complete BS. People need to just look at the scientific data and not these urban myths that are spread by organizations with a political agenda.

FYI, I have it on direct knowledge that at least initially the cost of a Covid test was higher than the reimbursement amount. I doubt that is still the case, but nobody is being compensated to try and drive numbers up artificially. And there are zero doctors in America who are going to put a patient on a ventilator for the hell of it. It is a very intense experience. The individual doctors and nurses at a hospital don't see a dime for any sort of reimbursement and are making medical-based decisions. Please don't disrespect the medical community just because someone is trying to push an extremist agenda.