Ouch! Study Says Some Sports Injuries are No Accident

Earlier this month, a national survey found that more than half of coaches believe that it is possible that their players have been injured intentionally.

The survey, conducted by Manhattanville College's National Coach Survey Research Center, asked thousands of travel, high school and college coaches if there has ever been an occasion when they felt that a player on the other team intentionally injured one of their players.

The coaches then had the option to pick between definitely, probably, possibly or no.

Over 5,000 coaches responded to the survey. In total, 21 percent of the coaches felt that one of their players had been injured intentionally; 16 percent of the coaches felt that it was probable; and 31 percent felt it was possible.

This means that 68 percent of the coaches polled feel that it is at least possible that one of their players have been injured intentionally.

James Salerno is a life-long Harrison resident and played football at both Iona Prep and LaSalle University. He now coaches modified football and track in the Bronxville school district. He said he can see where emotions can get the best of some athletes.

"No one ever wants to see someone get hurt, no mater what the level of play is," said Salerno. "Sometimes in the heat of competition it is difficult to keep your emotions in check and maintain your composure."

Michael Chiarella was a three sport athlete as a junior at Harrison High School. After not playing football in his freshman or sophomore seasons he decided to join for the team this fall. Chiarella was so impressive in the preseason that he earned a starting position as one of the team's safeties. 

In the third game of the year, Harrison went up against a division rival. 

Early in the game, Chiarella attempted to make a tackle on a wide receiver, he extended his right arm and dislocated his right shoulder on contact.

"It was the type of injury that it hurt so badly that it was more of a numb feeling," Chiarella said. "When the trainer popped my shoulder back into to place it felt like nothing happened at all, and it felt normal."

Chiarella's coaches took his helmet and did not let him back in the game for fear that he could injure his shoulder further. A few days after the game, it was determined that he had torn his labrum on the play, and that he would need surgery to heal the damage.

Today, Chiarella doesn't blame the opposing player and says that although the injury caused him to miss the remaining games in the football season, and the entire basketball season, it was purely accidental.

"I don't blame the opposition at all," said the junior. "It clearly wasn't intentionally, it was just a risk when I extended my arm."

But there are examples of injuries right here in Harrison that may not have been so innocent.

Most people may not look at softball as a contact sport. But Harrison's catcher GiGi LoDolce would disagree. LoDolce, as a catcher, always had issues with her knees, but in 2007 she tore her meniscus on a play at the plate.

On a close play, LoDolce said an opposing runner slid in with her spikes up. The runner's cleat caught LoDolce directly in the knee, snapping the runner's ankle and tearing LoDolce's meniscus completely.

The catcher stayed in to play the rest of the game, but found out the next day that she needed immediate surgery. The injury took two months to heal. 

Looking back at the injury now, she feels that there is a chance the injury was intentional. But there is no way to know for sure.

"I think she tried to get me out of the way but that obviously wasn't happening," said LoDolce. "I definitely blame the opposition for my injury."

Several injuries like LoDolce's and Chiarella's happen in the field of play on a daily basis. But Manhatanville's study sheds light on the fact that it is possible that injuries at every level of sports might be the result of tempers getting the best of a young athlete, and not completely accidental.

But, since only one person knows what is going through a player's mind in the seconds before contact, there is no real way to know for sure.