Athletic trainers: Coaches still influence health decisions

In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) is helped by medical staff during the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Georgia, in Atlanta. More than one-third of college athletic trainers say coaches influence the hiring and firing of their schools' sports-medicine staffs, a finding that counters an NCAA-recommended protocol urging medical staff to make decisions about athlete health independent of coaches and administrators. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) More than one-third of college athletic trainers say coaches influence the hiring and firing of their schools' sports-medicine staffs, a finding that counters an NCAA-recommended protocol urging medical staff to make decisions about athlete health independent of coaches and administrators.

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