Maryland's Alex Len – who is expected to be a top 10 pick in the NBA draft – recently sat down with Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose for a story at Grantland. Len underwent surgery in late April for a stress fracture in his ankle. They discussed this in the interview, and Len revealed that he had suffered from pain for over a month, and had shared that information with Maryland.
The Terps ordered an x-ray which came back negative. Then – despite pain significant enough that they held him out of practices and just had him play in games – they decided not to conduct an MRI. It wasn't until the season ended that an MRI was ordered, and at that point it was determined that he needed surgery on his left ankle.
Describing this scenario to Simmons and Rose, Jalen Rose said, "Bill, when you're in college they don't want you to get it [the MRI] during the season. It benefits them for you to finish the season."
And it's hard to argue with that logic. Why would Maryland, among the richest programs in the country, not conduct a routine medical procedure like an MRI, especially since the pain was severe enough that they held him out of practices?
Was it on purpose? Was it poor judgment? Who knows, but this is the type of story which might not go away quietly.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h0u-Pvw1J0s
