When Karl Joseph sustained a season-ending ligament tear in his left knee earlier this month playing safety for the West Virginia University football team, the Mountaineers had to figure out how they would replace a team leader and an all-Big 12 Conference performer.
Mr. Joseph had to figure out a lot more. What happens to a college athlete when he or she is taken away from the bright lights of a stadium and put under the light of an operating room? Who pays for the medical bills that accrue when student-athletes are injured representing their school?
The answers vary from school to school, and for some who follow college sports, that’s a problem.