On the evening of Tuesday Feb. 21, Fredonia Blackhorse Rugby player Jason Winston collided with one of his teammates, leaving him with injuries that hospitalized him at Brooks Memorial overnight. Winston’s teammates reached out to one of the athletic trainers nearby on campus for emergency assistance while others called University Police during the incident. However, the trainer did not provide him with care.
“During one of my meetings with my doctors, the doctors told me that the [reason the] athletic trainers didn’t show up [to help me] is because we’re not an NCAA sport,” Winston said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
At The Leader, we highly value the contributions of all types of athletes to making our campus and athletic programs better. We are disappointed by the campus athletic department’s lack of immediate response and defense for not providing care to Winston through the means of an athletic trainer, regardless of his club athlete status, when he suffered a medical emergency on the evening of Feb. 21.
Winston is currently recovering due to the response of his teammates and doctors. We will be seeking out more thorough answers/solutions on this issue over the next few weeks from the Athletics Department and members of campus administration. We will be seeking clarification regarding what the university’s Division III trainers and professional athletic staff can and can’t do for non-D3 athletes, especially in the event of a medical emergency.
However, in solidarity and support of Winston and to raise awareness to the safety of club athletes, for the rest of the Spring 2023 semester, we will be making an increased effort to feature club and recreational sports in our print issues and online articles.
If you are an club athlete and have any concerns about your own health/safety after this incident, please email The Leader at leader@fredonia.edu or email current Editor in Chief Will Karr karr6505@fredonia.edu, and we will endeavor to ensure your concerns are addressed by the appropriate people here on campus moving forward.