serious question.. what happens if you take a very bad tackle as a College player and end up in a wheelchair, who will look after you? are you insured by the college ?
Since 2005, the NCAA has required universities to certify that athletes have insurance for athletically-related injuries before they can compete. The insurance can come from the school, a parent or an athlete's personal policy, and must cover up to the $90,000 deductible of the NCAA catastrophic injury insurance program.
The NCAA says its requirement protects athletes from substantial, unexpected medical expenses and eliminates misconceptions about the university's responsibility. It also protects schools from lawsuits because covered athletes are less likely to sue when expenses are paid by some form of insurance, the NCAA says.
Even some critics of the NCAA say that medical coverage seems to have improved for athletes in recent years. Some athletics departments accept significant responsibility for medical claims. But others assume far less, sometimes causing confusion and frustration for athletes.
In one case, an ex-Ohio University football player told The New York Times in 2009 that he learned he owed $1,800 in unpaid medical bills from his temporary paralysis when he tried to buy a car six years after the injury.
The great unknown is how many ex-athletes are footing bills to treat significant injuries sustained while in college.
"It's hard to know how many players are being hit with big bills," said Ramogi Huma, president of the National College Players Association, an advocacy group for college athletes. Because of potential loopholes in some schools' policies, "the bottom line is schools are not on the hook for one penny. I don't think players know what to expect."