Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 27 June 2019

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.
Associated Press

Athletic trainers: Coaches still United States’Megan Rapinoe, front, celebrates at the end of the Women’s World Cup round of 16
soccer match between Spain and US at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France, Monday,
June 24, 2019. U.S. beat Spain 2-1.
influence health decisions Associated Press

By EDDIE PELLS influence on who runs the Trump calls out Rapinoe for comments
AP National Writer “When a coach comes to about White House visit
programs’ medical staffs.
More than one-third of col-
lege athletic trainers say an institution and maybe
coaches influence the gets rid of, fires, or replaces WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- Wednesday. The president vited,” she added. The U.S.
hiring and firing of their a sports medicine staff in dent Donald Trump called also tweeted that he will team, the defending World
schools’ sports-medicine place that’s doing quality out U.S. women’s national invite the U.S. team “win or Cup champion, plays host
staffs, a finding that coun- work, is that right thing to team co-captain Megan lose.” France in a quarterfinal
ters an NCAA-recommend- do?” said Kansas director Rapinoe after a months-old Rapinoe’s comments match on Friday.
ed protocol urging medi- of sports medicine Murphy video was posted on social came during an interview Trump’s tweets came two
cal staff to make decisions Grant, who chaired the media in which she used for a magazine in January days after an interview
about athlete health inde- committee that conduct- profanity when she said she in which she was asked with The Hill in which he
pendent of coaches and ed the survey. “The institu- wasn’t going to the White if she was excited by the said it wasn’t appropriate
administrators. tion’s role is to take care House if the team wins the prospect of going to the for Rapinoe to protest dur-
Among the 1,796 athletic of the student-athlete. We Women’s World Cup. White House. In a video ing the national anthem.
trainers who answered a want to look at the influ- “Megan should never dis- of an interview excerpt Rapinoe started kneeling
recent survey, more than ence of why those things respect our Country, the posted Tuesday, she can during the anthem in 2016
48 percent said their school occur.” White House, or our Flag, be seen using a profan- to show solidarity with for-
was not following the Nearly three in five of 537 especially since so much ity when she says she’s not mer San Francisco 49ers
NCAA-directed guidance athletic trainers who an- has been done for her & going. quarterback Colin Kae-
. Nearly one in five respon- swered questions about the team,” Trump tweeted “We’re not gonna be in- pernick, who did it before
dents said a coach had whether they received NFL games to protest social
played an athlete who had pressure from non-medical Kerber sets up Eastbourne and racial injustice. But the
been deemed medically personnel about medical United States Soccer Fed-
ineligible to participate. decisions said they did. Of clash with Halep eration then adopted a
The National Athletic Train- those, 28.8 percent said policy that requires players
ers’ Association sent sur- they received pressure at to stand.
vey questions to more least twice a month and EASTBOURNE, England Now she stands, but she
than 9,200 athletic trainers 2.56 percent said they re- (AP) — Wimbledon has been criticized for not
who work in all divisions of ceived pressure daily. champion Angelique singing and putting her
NCAA, NAIA and two-year Other findings: Kerber will meet Simona hand over her heart like
schools in an attempt to —Nearly three in 10 said Halep in the quarterfinals other players.
generate baseline data the autonomy of medical at Eastbourne after they Rapinoe, who is gay, has
about how institutions are staff differed depending won their third-round frequently spoken out
following NCAA guidelines. on sport. matches Wednesday. about politics and has criti-
About 775 of the 1,796 —Just short of half the ath- Seeded fourth, Kerber cized the Trump adminis-
respondents said they letic trainers said there beat Sweden’s Rebecca Romania’s Simona Halep tration and its policies in
worked in Division I. was no formal document Peterson 7-6 (4), 6-0 and in action against Slovenia’s the past.
The crux of the guidelines describing their school’s now has a 5-1 record on Polona Hercog during their Trump has used Twitter to
call for coaches and ad- model regarding indepen- grass this season ahead Women’s Singles match on criticize athletes who dis-
ministrators to be left out of dence of the medical staff. of next week’s Wimble- day four of the Nature Valley agree with him, including
the decision-making pro- —More than 76 percent of don. The 31-year-old Ger- International at Devonshire Kaepernick and LeBron
Park, Eastbourne, England,
cess when it comes to an respondents said they feel man reached the East- Wednesday, June 26, 2019. James.
athlete’s health. they have unchallenge- bourne final in 2012 and Associated Press Teammate Ali Krieger
But those who answered able authority to determine 2014, losing both times. tweeted in support of
the survey painted a pic- medical management of Second-seeded Karolina erina Alexandrova, who Rapinoe. Media access to
ture that shows those athletes. Pliskova hit 24 winners in a progressed when her op- players is tightly controlled
guidelines are far from be- “It’s concerning that 24 6-1, 6-2 victory over Elise ponent Jelena Ostapen- at the World Cup and the
ing met — and portrayed percent feel they do not,” Mertens. That set up a ko retired with a hip injury players were not available
quarterfinal against Ekat-
coaches as still having an Grant said.q at 3-6, 1-2 down.q for comment.q