Something is NOT KOSHER : Please read and comment

[LarryGamLax]

I don't know what is going on at Quinnipiac. One of my former clients is on this team and she has been solid in keeping quiet about her team's strange situation. I found out about this from a friend and this article was sent to me today. I am sharing with our Forum and would like to know what you all think.

https://quchronicle.com/85524/news/accu ... dden-exit/

[wlaxphan20]

I don't know what is going on at Quinnipiac. One of my7 former clients is on this team and she has been solid in keeping quiet about her team's strange situation. I found out about this from a friend and this article was sent to me today. I am sharing with our Forum and would like to know what you all think.

https://quchronicle.com/85524/news/accu ... dden-exit/

I haven't even finished reading the article - but the description of the athletic department's ATC coverage (if true) is infuriating. It sounds like they had 4 athletic trainers (with a 5th overseeing) covering 21 athletic teams on a rotating basis.

[LarryGamLax]

I don't know what is going on at Quinnipiac. One of my7 former clients is on this team and she has been solid in keeping quiet about her team's strange situation. I found out about this from a friend and this article was sent to me today. I am sharing with our Forum and would like to know what you all think.

https://quchronicle.com/85524/news/accu ... dden-exit/

I haven't even finished reading the article - but the description of the athletic department's ATC coverage (if true) is infuriating. It sounds like they had 4 athletic trainers (with a 5th overseeing) covering 21 athletic teams on a rotating basis.

They basically fired her because she spoke up ? That is CRAZY!! Advocate for your players and their well-being...and get fired. The article still doesn't say why this happened, but it's apparent. And I'm not comfortable with the interim coach being the Fiancé of an athletic administrator. That's not a good look.

[WashedUpLaxDad]

No contract for a D1 coach? is this common?

[wlaxphan20]

No contract for a D1 coach? is this common?

It sounds like it had to do with Connecticut's employment laws, but that is definitely not my area of expertise

[Relax77]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

[LarryGamLax]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

I've always told client's parents to stand down and let your daughter handle team business, UNLESS, it concerns the athlete's physical or mental well being. I think this qualifies.

[Relax77]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

I've always told client's parents to stand down and let your daughter handle team business, UNLESS, it concerns the athlete's physical or mental well being. I think this qualifies.

I would agree with that. I’m not really sure how to take the article where it has the dad saying he was encouraging her to play.

“But the player’s dad, who attended the Oct. 22 tournament and encouraged his daughter to play, said she was practically “begging” Kotowicz to put her on the field.

“We were trying to get her on the field as well,” he said.”

To me I took that as he was encouraging the coach to put his daughter out there. Certainly may not be the case. Whether that happened or not, I still am surprised how often you hear that parents are nightmares for coaches. Heard some horror stories recently so it looks like it’s getting worse.

[spidey44]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

I've always told client's parents to stand down and let your daughter handle team business, UNLESS, it concerns the athlete's physical or mental well being. I think this qualifies.

I would agree with that. I’m not really sure how to take the article where it has the dad saying he was encouraging her to play.

“But the player’s dad, who attended the Oct. 22 tournament and encouraged his daughter to play, said she was practically “begging” Kotowicz to put her on the field.

“We were trying to get her on the field as well,” he said.”

To me I took that as he was encouraging the coach to put his daughter out there. Certainly may not be the case. Whether that happened or not, I still am surprised how often you hear that parents are nightmares for coaches. Heard some horror stories recently so it looks like it’s getting worse.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the dad wasn’t saying that to the coach, rather his daughter. “If you feel good and you did your required practices then you should play.” Could be wrong but that’s how I read it.

[Relax77]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

I've always told client's parents to stand down and let your daughter handle team business, UNLESS, it concerns the athlete's physical or mental well being. I think this qualifies.

I would agree with that. I’m not really sure how to take the article where it has the dad saying he was encouraging her to play.

“But the player’s dad, who attended the Oct. 22 tournament and encouraged his daughter to play, said she was practically “begging” Kotowicz to put her on the field.

“We were trying to get her on the field as well,” he said.”

To me I took that as he was encouraging the coach to put his daughter out there. Certainly may not be the case. Whether that happened or not, I still am surprised how often you hear that parents are nightmares for coaches. Heard some horror stories recently so it looks like it’s getting worse.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the dad wasn’t saying that to the coach, rather his daughter. “If you feel good and you did your required practices then you should play.” Could be wrong but that’s how I read it.

Very well could be Spider. As I stated, I’m not sure how to take it. Idk. But would you really be shocked if you found out the father went to coach and demanded that she played? Funny story from USF. Mother and child were down there in September telling the other parents and kids exactly who the daughter was better than out of the previous year’s 2024 commits. They offered the kid before the official visit. I am certain, this mother isn’t going to be a problem. .

[NutmegCrunch]

What I had heard from a friend-of-a-friend connection to the Quinnipiac team was that the head coach was well-liked and players were not happy with the circumstances of her departure, but no details of exactly what happened.

Based on what was in the article, at best, different staff were working from duplicate injury reports that didn't always agree and this led to confusion for players, coaches, and trainers. At worst, someone with access to the injury report files intentionally altered them during the investigation to shift the blame off the training department and to cover up their improper and error-prone documentation practices.

It's not the end of the world to have rotating athletic trainers - but in that case, there needs to be clear and consistent communication between all parties and with one injury tracker to serve as a "single source of truth" for all stakeholders. I wonder why the training department isn't using some kind of charting or EMR software for this purpose instead of Excel.

[wlaxphan20]

What I had heard from a friend-of-a-friend connection to the Quinnipiac team was that the head coach was well-liked and players were not happy with the circumstances of her departure, but no details of exactly what happened.

Based on what was in the article, at best, different staff were working from duplicate injury reports that didn't always agree and this led to confusion for players, coaches, and trainers. At worst, someone with access to the injury report files intentionally altered them during the investigation to shift the blame off the training department and to cover up their improper and error-prone documentation practices.

It's not the end of the world to have rotating athletic trainers - but in that case, there needs to be clear and consistent communication between all parties and with one injury tracker to serve as a "single source of truth" for all stakeholders. I wonder why the training department isn't using some kind of charting or EMR software for this purpose instead of Excel.

Rotating athletic trainers isn’t the end of the world, but 4 ATCs to 21 teams seems, to me, to be stretching coverage extremely thin. Even with consistent, accurate charting & the use of an EMR, from the article it sounded like there were many times there simply wasn’t an ATC available to be present.

[spidey44]

Very well could be Spider. As I stated, I’m not sure how to take it. Idk. But would you really be shocked if you found out the father went to coach and demanded that she played? Funny story from USF. Mother and child were down there in September telling the other parents and kids exactly who the daughter was better than out of the previous year’s 2024 commits. They offered the kid before the official visit. I am certain, this mother isn’t going to be a problem. .

Interesting...we went down in September as well and we didn't run into that mom apparently. I guess that was the other weekend lol.

[WashedUpLaxDad]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

I've always told client's parents to stand down and let your daughter handle team business, UNLESS, it concerns the athlete's physical or mental well being. I think this qualifies.

I would agree with that. I’m not really sure how to take the article where it has the dad saying he was encouraging her to play.

“But the player’s dad, who attended the Oct. 22 tournament and encouraged his daughter to play, said she was practically “begging” Kotowicz to put her on the field.

“We were trying to get her on the field as well,” he said.”

To me I took that as he was encouraging the coach to put his daughter out there. Certainly may not be the case. Whether that happened or not, I still am surprised how often you hear that parents are nightmares for coaches. Heard some horror stories recently so it looks like it’s getting worse.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the dad wasn’t saying that to the coach, rather his daughter. “If you feel good and you did your required practices then you should play.” Could be wrong but that’s how I read it.

Very well could be Spider. As I stated, I’m not sure how to take it. Idk. But would you really be shocked if you found out the father went to coach and demanded that she played? Funny story from USF. Mother and child were down there in September telling the other parents and kids exactly who the daughter was better than out of the previous year’s 2024 commits. They offered the kid before the official visit. I am certain, this mother isn’t going to be a problem. .

Did the kid end up committing to USF?

[Seacoaster(1)]

"A later email indicates that Smith — the head athletic trainer who had largely ignored Kotowicz’s concerns in early October — texted her just before 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 to request a meeting on athlete and injury management.

Less than 10 minutes later, when Kotowicz apparently took a screenshot of the full injury report, the player at the center of the incident was not listed as cleared to play “as tolerated” — as Kotowicz had told the athlete she was that morning — but instead as “out.”

Not good; basically tinkering with evidence to place a band-aid over the absence of, or sloppiness of, the training provided to the players and team. I think TK probably has a decent lawsuit against the university for wrongful termination, if she can assert and show that public policy would support her advocacy for the players and better support from the ATD.

[Brownlax]

I’ve known TK for almost 20 years now. She cares deeply about her players. She is always advocating for her players. This is total BS and I hope she sues the crap out of Quinnipiac.

[Can Opener]

"A later email indicates that Smith — the head athletic trainer who had largely ignored Kotowicz’s concerns in early October — texted her just before 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 to request a meeting on athlete and injury management.

Less than 10 minutes later, when Kotowicz apparently took a screenshot of the full injury report, the player at the center of the incident was not listed as cleared to play “as tolerated” — as Kotowicz had told the athlete she was that morning — but instead as “out.”

Not good; basically tinkering with evidence to place a band-aid over the absence of, or sloppiness of, the training provided to the players and team. I think TK probably has a decent lawsuit against the university for wrongful termination, if she can assert and show that public policy would support her advocacy for the players and better support from the ATD.

She should also look into Connecticut whistleblower statutes and QU whistleblower regulations which will likely give an at-will employee protection in situations like this. She was trying to do the right thing for her players and aggravated the administration by calling BS on their trainer staffing deficiencies.

[intheknow247]

What I had heard from a friend-of-a-friend connection to the Quinnipiac team was that the head coach was well-liked and players were not happy with the circumstances of her departure, but no details of exactly what happened.

Based on what was in the article, at best, different staff were working from duplicate injury reports that didn't always agree and this led to confusion for players, coaches, and trainers. At worst, someone with access to the injury report files intentionally altered them during the investigation to shift the blame off the training department and to cover up their improper and error-prone documentation practices.

It's not the end of the world to have rotating athletic trainers - but in that case, there needs to be clear and consistent communication between all parties and with one injury tracker to serve as a "single source of truth" for all stakeholders. I wonder why the training department isn't using some kind of charting or EMR software for this purpose instead of Excel.

Rotating athletic trainers isn’t the end of the world, but 4 ATCs to 21 teams seems, to me, to be stretching coverage extremely thin. Even with consistent, accurate charting & the use of an EMR, from the article it sounded like there were many times there simply wasn’t an ATC available to be present.

A quick search shows a minimum of 10 ATCs assigned to the various sports at Quinnipiac. Many Olympic sports will share ATCs (fall sport and spring sport) and hence the rotating coverage for lacrosse during the fall when they are not "In-season".

[wlaxphan20]

What I had heard from a friend-of-a-friend connection to the Quinnipiac team was that the head coach was well-liked and players were not happy with the circumstances of her departure, but no details of exactly what happened.

Based on what was in the article, at best, different staff were working from duplicate injury reports that didn't always agree and this led to confusion for players, coaches, and trainers. At worst, someone with access to the injury report files intentionally altered them during the investigation to shift the blame off the training department and to cover up their improper and error-prone documentation practices.

It's not the end of the world to have rotating athletic trainers - but in that case, there needs to be clear and consistent communication between all parties and with one injury tracker to serve as a "single source of truth" for all stakeholders. I wonder why the training department isn't using some kind of charting or EMR software for this purpose instead of Excel.

Rotating athletic trainers isn’t the end of the world, but 4 ATCs to 21 teams seems, to me, to be stretching coverage extremely thin. Even with consistent, accurate charting & the use of an EMR, from the article it sounded like there were many times there simply wasn’t an ATC available to be present.

A quick search shows a minimum of 10 ATCs assigned to the various sports at Quinnipiac. Many Olympic sports will share ATCs (fall sport and spring sport) and hence the rotating coverage for lacrosse during the fall when they are not "In-season".

I’m just going by what the article said. I wonder why they only mentioned 4 with a 5th overseeing if there are truly 10. And if there are really a minimum of 10, is it not worse that there were still times when an ATC wasn’t present? When players had to be transported to the ATC room by coaches? I went to Quinnipiac's Sports Medicine page too, and it seems they have ATC's assigned to one or two (opposite season) sports. If that's the case, why are they rotating so frequently?

[Relax77]

I’m just amazed that parents at that level still get involved with their daughter’s athletics.

I've always told client's parents to stand down and let your daughter handle team business, UNLESS, it concerns the athlete's physical or mental well being. I think this qualifies.

I would agree with that. I’m not really sure how to take the article where it has the dad saying he was encouraging her to play.

“But the player’s dad, who attended the Oct. 22 tournament and encouraged his daughter to play, said she was practically “begging” Kotowicz to put her on the field.

“We were trying to get her on the field as well,” he said.”

To me I took that as he was encouraging the coach to put his daughter out there. Certainly may not be the case. Whether that happened or not, I still am surprised how often you hear that parents are nightmares for coaches. Heard some horror stories recently so it looks like it’s getting worse.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say the dad wasn’t saying that to the coach, rather his daughter. “If you feel good and you did your required practices then you should play.” Could be wrong but that’s how I read it.

Very well could be Spider. As I stated, I’m not sure how to take it. Idk. But would you really be shocked if you found out the father went to coach and demanded that she played? Funny story from USF. Mother and child were down there in September telling the other parents and kids exactly who the daughter was better than out of the previous year’s 2024 commits. They offered the kid before the official visit. I am certain, this mother isn’t going to be a problem. .

Did the kid end up committing to USF?

Yep.