Blue White Illustrated

Late in the teleconference, O'Brien was asked to respond to Penn State trustee Anthony Lubrano, who had expressed concerns about what he saw as the potential move toward a more NFL-style model of medical practice. O'Brien bristled at the charge that Penn State would risk players' long-term health in order to get them back on the field as quickly as possible following an injury. "I don't understand how someone can make a quote about something that they know nothing about," he said. "The quote is not true. We have a model that is used by many, many Division I schools across the country. It is the model that we've used here. So I don't know how anyone who is not involved with this program can make a quote like that. I can't even comprehend that." The changes to the athletic medicine staff are part of a larger pattern of upheaval that has gripped the program since the end of the Paterno era, with fractures developing between those looking to restore Joe Paterno's reputation and others looking to break with the past. Much of the media commentary in the wake of SI's report dwelled less on the medical issues that the magazine raised than on the behind-the-scenes machina- tions that may have given rise to the story in the first place. Jay Paterno even issued a tweet on the morning of May 15 to deny message-board speculation that he had a hand in the story's publication. During his conference call with reporters, O'Brien said he did not think there were people in the Penn State community who wanted to sabotage the program. "Who in the world would try to undermine us?" he asked. "If there is somebody out there trying to undermine us, they need to look in the mirror. Why in the world would you try to undermine something that is HOW PENN STATE COMPARES FOOTBALL PHYSICIAN IN-SEASON COVERAGE* PENN STATE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN attends all practices and games. On Sunday, examines every player who played in the game previous day and any others in need of attention. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN attends at least one practice each week (Wed.) and all games. Available post-practice Monday, Tuesday and Thursday if necessary. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. IOWA PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN is available to attend practice and see players post-practice Monday-Friday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN is available postpractice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. LSU PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN is available post-practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Sunday, is avail- able to examine all players. Attends all games. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN available postpractice Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. MICHIGAN STATE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN is available to attend practice and see players post-practice Monday-Friday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN is available postpractice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. NORTHWESTERN PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN is available to attend practice and see players post-practice Monday-Friday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN is available postpractice once or twice a week. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. * Benchmarking information provided by Penn State. NEBRASKA PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN is available to attend practice and see players post-practice Monday-Friday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN is available postpractice Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. OHIO STATE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN is available to see players early a.m. Monday-Friday and post-practice on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Sunday, the physician is available to examine all players. Attends all games. ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICIAN is available to see players post-practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sunday, is available to examine all players. Attends all games. At least one of the three team physicians attends practice or a part of practice every day and sees players at the conclusion of each practice as needed for new injuries or follow-up care.

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