NFL finally gets something right with sports-medicine diversity push
Doing the right thing through diversity is not in the NFL’s DNA. But his venture with the League’s Physician Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) is a great diagnosis.
participants of the second year of NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative is announced as 31 student clinical rotations begin in the program’s boot camp, which aims to inspire a more diverse medical student base to pursue careers in sports medicine.
Fourteen of this year’s students are from HBCUs, including Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine. Charles R. There are also two students from Drew University who are recognized as a Historically Black Graduate Institution, Last year’s program featured only 14 students who worked with teams of eight. In the second year, the program is league-wide.
“The NFL and our club medical staff are thrilled to welcome these impressive medical students from across the country to the league this season.” NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alan Sills said in a statement, “The league-wide expansion of the NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline initiative this season reflects the strong interest in sports medicine from diverse and underrepresented medical students and is indicative of our clubs’ commitment to diversity in all aspects of the game.”
The program is set up so that students will have the opportunity to work with orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians, and athletic trainers. This is happening at a time when the NFL needs to improve its image, especially in a season in which Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa became an example of how bad the league has been at player care – especially in case of trauma,
just last year, Families of former black players win decades-long battle with league as NFL pays millions For not giving them proper compensation for the injuries sustained while playing. A racist practice called “race-norming”—which held that black players and white players do not have the same intelligence, due to a racist belief that blacks have lower cognitive levels than whites—was used as a disqualification.
“In 2022, how can you imagine another human being will come out of the womb with less cognitive ability?” Former Washington player Ken Jenkins filed a petition with the federal judge overseeing the settlement, told The Associated Press at the time, Jenkins declared, “It is impossible to believe that this could be true.” “It’s inexplicable.”
The league is still running Investigated by the New York and California Attorneys General For hostile workplace discrimination, for racial and sexual harassment and age bias Brian Flores’ class-action suit Action is still ongoing against the league for the alleged racist hiring of black coaches. and just a few months ago, NFL Media Gets Rid Of Veteran NFL Reporter Jim Trotter For constantly asking NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about the lack of diversity from the league’s sidelines to the front office and newsroom.
“We are incredibly excited to participate in the second year of such an impactful and important diversity program,” Timothy McAdams, MD, president of the NFLPS and lead team physician for the San Francisco 49ers, said in a statement. “Mentorship is an important component of student recruitment in our region, so we are thrilled to add more talented medical students from diverse backgrounds to the NFL Clubs’ medical communities. We all look forward to seeing this program continue to grow and impact more medical students in the years to come.”
This initiative is one of the first positive and actionable things the NFL has done in the name of diversity in a long time. And if the league ever wants to mend its reputation, it may not be the last.
