Tua's Injury
- Thread starter NoNC4Tubs
- Start date
Not having loss of value insurance for Tua was very, very stupid and makes the University look bad here.
Then it is critical that Tua think about his draft projection before declaring for the 2020 draft.
Not all of that would have been covered by LOV insurance - each policy comes with a cap. He could probably have recouped 2-5 million with a standard LOV policy. It is possible to buy policies with higher limits, but it would come with very pricey premiums.
I think he should consider staying but I don't know if he should actually stay in school. He needs to weigh his options and the risks involved with each. I think those considerations end with a declaration for the draft after the season and that is the most likely to be safe and smart long-term. Anything else is a gamble that may or may not pay off. Tebow stayed in college for four years but he was not a top prospect. Andrew Luck ended up staying four years (through his RS Junior season) but his family is firmly upper class so the financial calculus was a bit different. I can't speak to the Tagovailoa's finances nor their mindset regarding money. I don't know what their priorities are about this process. It got a lot more complicated last Saturday though.
This might be a little more complicated than it sounds initially.
When I read that universities could pay for this insurance, I also read about it coming from a specific fund which wasn't really that substantial in size (I'm speaking specifically about the policy FSU bought for Winston). The tricky thing here is Alabama has so many projected high picks it might not have been feasible to purchase both policies for all of them. It might have simply been a choice between the policies Alabama does pay for, and these sort of policies. Paying for 16 players on the current policies could have tapped out the fund. I do agree that protecting the players against career ending injuries is more important, since that's not just a difference in millions, but could be the difference in living a comfortable life or not. If Prothro had the policy Alabama does provide now, instead of working at a bank, or well having to work at a bank, he could have had more choices in his life. That's more important than trying to make a rich guy richer.
I really expected him to have it though, his family could have easily secured a loan and purchased the insurance. I am not aware of anything preventing this. The projected draft rank alone would be enough to secure the loan, which then would guarantee the money to pay back the loan. I'm not sure why they would skip purchasing it. This was basically guaranteeing money in the bank.
Edit: Bingo!
I found the part that does confirm what I suspected: "The money Alabama spends on those premiums took up 68% of the school’s allocation of its Student Assistance Fund"
"Schools have to always leave some money available in their fund to pay for approved use of giving student athletes benefits in case of emergencies"
This was not stupid, it simply wasn't a viable choice in this situation. Unless they were going to strip other athletes of insurance entirely, which is a far worse look. They don't make the rules here.
Last edited:
There is another article on al.com by Michael Cassegrande that goes into the details money-wise. I still don't understand why the University did not provide both disability and LOV. Clemson provided both with Deshaun Watson, Ohio State both with Chase Young (from what I have read).
That's not how I understand the fund to be at all. Not how I read it. I'm pretty sure it, like a lot of things has restrictions. Specifically there are restrictions on just how much can be spent "assisting" athletes.
We might find some common ground here, because I said before back when we were talking about paying athletes that I actually wanted to see LOV insurance tied specifically to jersey sales. I was talking about lifting limitations and providing this very thing to athletes automatically. I brought it up a couple times actually...
Last edited:
Either way I don't blame Alabama for this. It would be great if they had LOV insurance in place. They didn't. Learn from it. Better protect guys like Tua in the future.
I agree. I sure hope the University rethinks their policy for future players like Tua.
I imagine all the Bama/Saban haters will add this to the list of things to say against Saban for recruiting purposes, etc. "Don't go to Bama, come to ____ where we will protect you with insurance".." look at how Saban played Tua when he should not have... " I can hear Kirby and Coach O and Dabo now...
I don't blame anyone in particular for all that has happened this year with Bama football, but it has been a tough year for all of Bama players, fans, etc. Hopefully it can end with a win vs Auburn and another playoff spot! RTR!
Well, to go into detail a little more, when I read the FSU story I believe the amount in the fund was 240K. My understanding and this is consistent with NCAA practices, is they try to limit both how much can be spent and what is allowed. It's not just a slush fund, where if a player wants a new car or something they get the money. I recall for instance money being used when a player had to travel due to a death in the family.
I just found this on the NCAA site:
"$84.5M
Student Assistance Fund
Distributed to Division I student-athletes for essential needs that arise during their time in college."
Here's another quote: "A Student Assistance Fund reserve is a tricky thing. On the one hand, money not spent is money that cannot possibly benefit student-athletes. On the other hand, holding money in reserve means the institution can respond to one-time events, like natural disasters that destroy all of a student-athlete’s possessions."
Nothing I've read indicates the school has any say in the amount of money that's available in the fund, simply in how they choose to spend it. Not trying to take a shot here, but it seems at one point in time Ohio State was using money (25,000) from their fund to pay for student parking. This was years ago, but it seemed they were also using the fund to pay for health insurance, despite the fact that the school can use regular athletic department funds to pay for health insurance. So there are some choices there, but it's still hard capped: "The Student Assistance Fund is a limited pot of money that can pay for things which schools cannot, like travel, clothing, and school supplies"
In Alabama's case though, I have to reiterate they were paying for one form of insurance for 16 players and had used up 68% of the fund. Yes, they could have just fit Tua in there and not have exceeded the cap, but they couldn't fit Jeudy, Ruggs, Tua, etc... and still have made the numbers work. With the current framework, there's really no go back and do it differently next time. They chose the better policy of the two available, they simply can't afford to pay for both.
Now, getting back to my idea, this is where more positive things can be done in the future. No, the student fund can't cover a school like Alabama paying for this, and Alabama can't use other funds to pay for this, so their hands are tied. If you did open up a new fund, for instance one tied to limited likeness use, like jerseys, then you can open a pathway to provide more benefits to players. I'm not against that by the way, I want players to be better taken care of.
To anyone questioning Alabama on this, just get our your calculator and do a google search. The money wasn't there for everyone to get both policies, period.
My only question would be if this issue was handled the same this year, as it was in years past.
On the "protecting the ankles" issue, several doctors have weighed in that it was not the case. He was running for his life. When you're running, one thigh or the other is going to be adducted. The only thing might have helped was to straighten both legs and land flat on his face, which is very noninstinctive. The only thing which may have played in the picture was that he's lost a step or so, making him a bit easier to catch...
I’m 100% right on this. If you want to argue that Alabama should have gone the cheap route with Tua, go ahead.
I 100% agree with this. I have an LSWho friend that said Saban should have taken Tua OUT before that LAST series. Hmmmmm. Sort of IRRITATED me. Should Coach Saban have taken OUT ALL Alabama players before that last series: offensive and defensive players and NOT let ANY back-up players play either? That's the ONLY way you could prevent POSSIBLE injuries. We had several players hurt against MSU. None would have been HURT if Coach Saban had told MSU's Coach, "I'm afraid a player may be injured if I play ANY players. So, we're getting dressed and going back to Tuscaloosa RIGHT NOW. Yep! I know there's about 3 minutes left in the first half, but I'm afraid one of the players that I LOVE so much may get injured. We're ahead of your guys 35 to 7 and we are NOT going to forfeit this lop sided victory!" "P.S. We can't play any players in the Western Carolina game. Players could get HURT! Also, We cannot play any players against those people down at that Cow Barn either. Not only could they STEP in something! They could slide down while STEPPING in it and get INJURED.
You NEVER know when anyone is going to get HURT. No one has that foresight. I know everybody's talking about Insurance Policies at this time in this thread, but I just had to respond to this because of that LSWho friend. Maybe I should call him and tell him that Joe Burrow should NOT play against Arkansas, Texas A & M, and Jawja in the SECCG. After all, he just may get HURT. No one knows for sure. Advise to everyone: don't go out tonight, you could be in an auto wreck or get robbed while shopping. Oh, you better not stay at home. You could get robbed or your home may burn down while you are sleeping!
New Posts
-
-
-
Joke thread - including cartoons, memes, and misc - Part IX- Latest: Huckleberry
-
-
Trending content
Latest threads
-
ESPN: N. Iowa TE Sutherland dies 2 days after workout- Started by TideFans Reporter
- Replies: 0
-
ESPN: Yale's Reno stepping down due to health issues
- Started by TideFans Reporter
- Replies: 0
-
Bill Gates-backed nuclear fusion firm files historic license for 350 MWe power plant- Started by crimsonaudio
- Replies: 0
-
-
ESPN: Way-Too-Early Top 25: Best portal addition for each team
- Started by TideFans Reporter
- Replies: 0
-
