HEALTH
A
s the academic year gets under-
way, many students join sports
teams sponsored by their school
or community. Some teams may have a
designated physician who treats athletes
for injuries and other medical issues.
While most physicians provide high-
quality medical services with the utmost
ethical standards, there have been a few
recent high-profile reports of doctors who
have violated their professional oaths and
their patients’ trust by abusing the young
people under their care.
One such occurrence happened locally,
when a volunteer doctor for Farmington
and Novi youth hockey teams was charged
with 31 counts of sexual abuse. Many of
the alleged victims were teenage boys. The
physician is now in jail and his medical
license has been temporarily suspended by
the State of Michigan.
Unfortunately, abuse of young athletes
by trusted authority figures is not a new
phenomenon, although victims have
become more willing to speak out in recent
years.
WHY YOUNG ATHLETES ARE
ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE
Young athletes may be particularly vul-
nerable because they trust their team
physicians and want to follow team proto-
cols. Abby Fisher, an athletic trainer who
lives in Ann Arbor, holds bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in the field of athletic
training. In addition to playing on several
high school sports teams, she
has worked with several teams
at Boise State University and
the University of Connecticut,
providing prevention, treat-
ment and management of ath-
letic injuries.
At the college level, Fisher
says that a team of four or five physicians
might be assigned to care for athletes
although one doctor is usually assigned
to a particular team. She adds that team
physicians are typically more familiar with
athletic injuries than other doctors and are
readily available to the athletes.
“They are innately in a position of
authority, and they build trust. It (inappro-
priate behavior or abuse) doesn’t happen
the first time,” she said.
According to Fisher, there is a “shame
factor” in speaking out about question-
able behavior by physicians, especially for
young boys. “What’s worse is that patients
are not always believed,” she said.
GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS
The good news is there are organizational
safeguards to help protect young people
and preventive steps parents can take.
Protection starts with parents who can
help define appropriate physical bound-
aries for their children from a very young
age, according to Julia Cohen, a clinical
social worker and director
of Community Initiatives at
Jewish Family Service. She says
it is important for parents to
explain to their children what
constitutes a “safe or healthy
touch” and what kind of con-
tact is inappropriate. She adds
that children should know “that anything
that doesn’t seem quite right or makes
Arm yourself with knowledge before the season gets underway.
Protecting Young Athletes
from Potential Abuse
continued on page 70
Abby
Fisher
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
68 | AUGUST 31 • 2023
Julia Cohen
Resources
Contact information
for Oakland County police
departments can be found at
www.oakgov.com/government/
prosecutor/resources
Confidential National
Sexual Assault Hotline:
(800) 656-4673