Damn the doctors, get me a Bible!

March 29, 2005 1:45 PM

Get Me a Faith Healer, STAT!
Marvin Andrews, a Trinidadian and Tobagoan defender with the Glasgow Rangers, sustained damage to his knee that team doctors say requires surgery to repair. He's decided that God will repair him and says that he will continue practicing and playing. This is on the heels of a recent faith-healed groin injury.
The question is this, if a professional athlete refuses to take the advice of the team's doctors and continues to play with an injury, is his team still responsible for his health and well-being? What about paying out his contract if the injury progresses to the point where he can no longer play?
posted by fenriq (19 comments total)

I recognize that this is a marginal FPP but I think the issues it raises are interesting enough to warrant the post.

If #1 disagrees then I will have no issue with his decision to delete.
posted by fenriq at 1:48 PM on March 29, 2005

Well, they paid for his health and ability to play. If he refuses to maintain that in a way they find appropriate, they should terminate his contract.
posted by jon_kill at 2:08 PM on March 29, 2005

Unfortunately, God will also be responsible for confining this man to a wheelchair in his later years, as these unrepaired injuries catch up with him.
posted by BobFrapples at 2:13 PM on March 29, 2005

But what if God was one of us?
posted by Debaser626 at 2:30 PM on March 29, 2005

Haha this is great, all over the papers today, and now spreading across the intarweb. He made the news last month when he performed his first faith healing session, drenched in sweat, in front of 25 people.

As a footballer his drive and commitment can't really be questioned. While he has always lacked finesse, he is utterly fearless and appeared a very commited and loyal player even before this stupidity. This is possibly one step too far, and beyond any physical damage he might do himself, I can't help but think that Rangers may be nearing the end of their tether with his potentially embarrassing actions. People like Marvin Andrews generally only appear in the football (sakker) world once a generation. I'm sure they would rather have another drinkin', fightin', shaggin' wide-boy in the team.
posted by fire&wings at 2:38 PM on March 29, 2005

I recognize that this is a marginal FPP

You really should have stopped right at that point...
posted by srboisvert at 2:45 PM on March 29, 2005

They've been discussing this a wee bit on followfollow (one of many such threads)...

I doubt Eck will give him any significant playing time if the injury worsens, or puts him too far off his normal game fitness.
posted by First Post at 2:54 PM on March 29, 2005

heh wasnt there a simpsons episode like this (had to say it!)

man there's only so much that endorphinspositive can do, a torn acl?
posted by stratastar at 3:10 PM on March 29, 2005

ach endorphins from positive thinking
posted by stratastar at 3:10 PM on March 29, 2005

This is not an issue of faith, but rather of who gets to determine health care treatment, the player or the team. In the absence of a contract to the contrary I would say that the player gets to determine what medical treatment he is willing to submit to.
posted by caddis at 4:08 PM on March 29, 2005

Any particular reason why this wasn't posted to Ask MetaFilter rather than as a FPP?
posted by WestCoaster at 4:32 PM on March 29, 2005

Predicted Final Score: Guy With Faith - 0, Real World - 1.
posted by boaz at 4:36 PM on March 29, 2005

We don't know the details of the case. Doctors do un-needed or marginal operations all the time. Operations very often create new problems. Ive had 4 major and while I will never know what it would be like without the operation, I do know the operations have created lifelong problems that I did not have before.

What if the doctors tell him he has a 50/50 chance of never playing baseball again after surgery? What if his ability to self-heal (immune system) is better than most? This is a personal choice most people have to make at some point in life, its not for any of us to judge.
posted by stbalbach at 4:38 PM on March 29, 2005

stbalbach, I think, if they told him he has a 50/50 chance of never playing baseball again, he'd take those odds, seeing as how he's a professional soccer player. I know, quibbling.

Team doctors are pretty adept at diagnosing knee injuries since they see them pretty often. I'd imagine they examined him after the incident, sent him up for some x-rays and determined that surgery to repair the damage was the best route to getting him back into playing condition.

Westcoaster, it never occurred to me to post it to AskMe. In retrospect, it would have been a good idea to post it there.

caddis, you are right, in the absence of a contractual obligation to follow team doctor's advice, he could be able to seek whatever treatment he chose to. Does that make the team's investment in him null and void though?
posted by fenriq at 4:47 PM on March 29, 2005

He also carried out a faith healing session at his church a while back, and teh papers were invited along. Some topp pictures of him sweating away, laying hands on the crowd. He's absolutely genuine in his belief in this.

Which probably makes impending knee collapse more sad.
posted by bonaldi at 4:50 PM on March 29, 2005

So... nobody gives a thought to the possiblility (no matter how remote) that a faith healing is possible? And just to stay on-topic, will the team, or insurance carrier, be willing to compensate him for thier savings if it does happen?
posted by ziklagz at 7:20 PM on March 29, 2005

There is only one holy man in football and his name is Saint Martin O'Neill !
posted by sgt.serenity at 1:45 AM on March 30, 2005

ziklagz : "nobody gives a thought to the possiblility (no matter how remote) that a faith healing is possible?"

I don't know that nobody does. I don't, unless you count the placebo effect and positive thinking as part of faith healing.
posted by Bugbread at 4:06 AM on March 30, 2005

ziklagz, I gave a thought to the possibility that he was onto something our megabillion dollar health care industry wouldn't want us to know about.

And then I remembered that my underlying belief is that faith healers are barely above snake oil salesmen and are basically charlatans playing of people's fears, superstitions and faith in order to make a quick buck, usually. Marvin seems to really believe in the healing power of his faith though. More power to him, I still don't think his knee will miraculously heal itself though.
posted by fenriq at 11:29 AM on March 30, 2005