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