UTC receives "F" for athlete medical policy
Jennifer Adkins
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Sports
UTC recently received an F grade from the National College Players Association (NCPA) for refusing to disclose their medical policy form.
The NCPA launched a campaign to provide recruits, college athletes and parents with information regarding the medical protections at each Division I university.
The NCPA was started by University of California, Los Angeles football players, in 2001, as an advocacy group for college athletes.
According to NCPA president and founder Ramogi Huma, many schools are not required to pay for any sports-related medical expenses.
In an effort to correct this, the NCPA asked all Division I universities to disclose key medical policies that affect a student-athlete. The NCPA graded the policies A+ through F and any school that did not disclose their information automatically received an F.
Huma said the NCPA is concerned that coaches are making promises to young athletes, without ensuring a full understanding of their medical protections.
When asked for his opinion on UTC, Huma responded "nothing negative, nothing positive."
But he said it is important for athletic directors to realize that student-athletes need to know this information and that health care coverage is a huge factor in determining a college.
Huma said most of the athletic programs that did respond received very good grades and he thinks highly of the athletic administrations willing to be accountable for their policies.
However, UTC is not alone in refusing to disclose their information.
About 90 percent of all Division I athletic programs did not submit their medical policies to the NCPA.
"Some schools even told us they would receive a bad grade and didn't want to respond," said Huma. "That's a pretty disturbing revelation from the campaign."
Huma said it "was not a coincidence or accident" that some schools did not submit.
"Schools really don't want to expose their medical policies," he said. "Once it goes into writing, it makes it public and schools don't want to be held accountable."
The NCPA launched a campaign to provide recruits, college athletes and parents with information regarding the medical protections at each Division I university.
The NCPA was started by University of California, Los Angeles football players, in 2001, as an advocacy group for college athletes.
According to NCPA president and founder Ramogi Huma, many schools are not required to pay for any sports-related medical expenses.
In an effort to correct this, the NCPA asked all Division I universities to disclose key medical policies that affect a student-athlete. The NCPA graded the policies A+ through F and any school that did not disclose their information automatically received an F.
Huma said the NCPA is concerned that coaches are making promises to young athletes, without ensuring a full understanding of their medical protections.
When asked for his opinion on UTC, Huma responded "nothing negative, nothing positive."
But he said it is important for athletic directors to realize that student-athletes need to know this information and that health care coverage is a huge factor in determining a college.
Huma said most of the athletic programs that did respond received very good grades and he thinks highly of the athletic administrations willing to be accountable for their policies.
However, UTC is not alone in refusing to disclose their information.
About 90 percent of all Division I athletic programs did not submit their medical policies to the NCPA.
"Some schools even told us they would receive a bad grade and didn't want to respond," said Huma. "That's a pretty disturbing revelation from the campaign."
Huma said it "was not a coincidence or accident" that some schools did not submit.
"Schools really don't want to expose their medical policies," he said. "Once it goes into writing, it makes it public and schools don't want to be held accountable."
