Tweet from Sedona Prince

[Wbbfan1]

Transferred from Texas to Oregon. Don't understand the situation.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Tough break. I'm guessing there are more important things to her than her eligibility this year based on that message.

 

[Argonaut]

I still have a lot of questions...

Is she not on her parent(s)’ insurance plan?
Has she negotiated the cost?
Has she attempted to work with the hospital on a payment plan? Most won’t send to collections if you’re paying something.
What is Texas’ reasoning for not paying? Was there some kind of agreement that they would?

Also, the financial burden isn’t something she’ll carry the rest of her life. Does it suck? Yes. Is it unfair? Maybe. But it’s nothing compared to student loans or the medical situations that push people into bankruptcy.

 

[EricLA]

Bummer all the way around. I've never heard of this happening before - Shea had 2 or 3 ACL tears while at UCONN. I'm sure several players in similar situations needed surgery. Not sure what the bills were but I've never heard of a kid graduating from UCONN, or any university for that matter, with a huge medical bill like that.

I would think it's something her parents would have discussed with UT while there. Most people don't go in for surgery unless the hospital has discussed insurance/payment (unless it was life threatening and needed to be done quickly - ie. a car accident or heart attack or something)...

 

[Plebe]

What is Texas’ reasoning for not paying? Was there some kind of agreement that they would?

What probably happened is that she went outside the care she was receiving through UT, and by NCAA rules UT is not allowed to pay for that.

 

[Flyinsouth]

What a damn shame! Voluntarily play for your country; getting hurt is bad enough to endure but this is the result!?! You lose two years of eligibility and get sent to collections! I hope this sparks outrage and changes to the system. The ball was dropped somewhere. I am rooting for the kid to get healthy and hopefully some much needed restitution!

 

[DaBball]

 

[CocoHusky]

I have one additional simple question. Would she still have received this $22K bill had she decided to stay at Texas? If not, then Texas did her dirty IMO.

 

[Jmsdawg]

I have one additional simple question. Would she still have received this $22K bill had she decided to stay at Texas. If not, then Texas did her dirty IMO.

I believe she was injured playing for team USA. There she be some provision to cover injuries occurring when playing for the national team. She should never have been billed even if the hospital had to forgive the debt.

 

[WestCoast]

I believe she was injured playing for team USA. There she be some provision to cover injuries occurring when playing for the national team. She should never have been billed even if the hospital had to forgive the debt.

Credible sources aware of Prince's situation have shared that she allegedly reinjured her leg during a non-basketball-related incident while at Texas. That might be at the crux of the refusal-to-pay issue.

 

[oldude]

This has always been a complicated case. TX had nothing to do with the initial injury, so technically, Prince’s treatment & care should have been covered either by USA Basketball or family insurance. Once Prince got to TX, the University clearly picked up responsibility for rehabilitation and ongoing medical care. It has been noted that Prince and her mother sought medical care in NYC outside of the U of TX system.

The question of how and why the second surgery was necessary adds to the confusion. In addition, there was some sort of infection from the second surgery that set her back once she got to Oregon. Here again, who exactly was responsible for Prince’s care and treatment resulting from the infection?

Whatever the facts involved, it was clear that Prince and her family were not happy with TX when she transferred. It’s also clear that Prince/Oregon cited medical “mistreatment” at TX as the primary justification for Prince’s immediate eligibility. Whatever the facts, the NCAA denied the original waiver request as well as the appeal.

Prince has done an interview or two on her situation and now this social media post, all of which seem to point a finger at TX. While she has every right to voice her opinions, I’m not sure what she hopes to accomplish other than venting her frustration. Kelly Graves and his team are trying to win a national championship. The Prince situation is an ongoing distraction.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

It doesn't matter where she got hurt or when. This sort of heavy expense for anyone is just wrong. Universities should be required to take out insurance for all of their athletes, and to pay for continuing care after college. They should not get to use a kid's body, but then expect the parents to pick up the bill off their insurance. Think football, and the almost 100% rate of injuries over four years. Think about all the women athletes who tear their ACL's, then face knee replacements from age 30 and over.

Something is very wrong here.

 

[oldude]

It doesn't matter where she got hurt or when. This sort of heavy expense for anyone is just wrong. Universities should be required to take out insurance for all of their athletes, and to pay for continuing care after college. They should not get to use a kid's body, but then expect the parents to pick up the bill off their insurance. Think football, and the almost 100% rate of injuries over four years. Think about all the women athletes who tear their ACL's, then face knee replacements from age 30 and over.

Something is very wrong here.

Unfortunately, it does matter where and when she got hurt. I get that Prince is angry and frustrated, but it’s not clear in my mind that TX owns the responsibility here.

 

[jonson]

Although there is clearly a lot we don't know, it seems to me a raw deal no matter how you view it. According to Graves, the complications have to do with a rod that was inserted into the broken bone to strengthen it. I have one of those, but in an arm rather than a leg, and I know that infection is a concern. If that's the case with Prince then somebody really dropped the ball.

As for distracting the team, I don't think that's an issue. Prince's "fit" at Oregon has been as good as one could want, and she (along with Nyara Sabally, the other Duck who has not been blessed by the injury gods) is extraordinarily active and invested from the start to finish of all the games I've attended. Geno would love it.

 

[Kaizen]

Set a "Go Fund Me" account. I am sure some PAC-12 fans here will help you.

 

[WestCoast]

Set a "Go Fund Me" account. I am sure some PAC-12 fans here will help you.

There will be a lot of people watching carefully how the remaining $22k bill gets paid. Oregon and its boosters will need to steer clear of what could be a NCAA violation waiting to happen.

As a former scholarship athlete, I am aware that any medical expenses and care related to my training and competition were covered by the university. Other medical expenses not related to athletics needed to be processed through my family's group medical insurance.

If, as has been posted above, treatment was obtained for Prince outside of UT authorization and her established network, then Prince's family risked being in a financial quandary if UT's policies don't provide for 100% coverage without a deductible when athletes decide to seek medical care that has not been pre-authorized.

Most medical coverage typically has some limitations related to network and pre-authorization requirement. Medical insurance for collegiate athletes is typically strong coverage if your athlete complies with established procedures. If you don't, out-of-pocket expenses are a reasonable consequence.