OT: WF baseball coach donates a kidney to player
So imagine this guy on a recruiting visit.
Player's family: "We like the school and all, but how do we know you're going to take care of our kid?"
Coach (lifting up shirt to show): "Uh, I don't know if you know this, but I used to have two kidneys. Our left fielder has the other one.
Parents: "Where do we sign."
Pretty frickin' cool story.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:46 PM ^
Just goes to show how RR lacked family values-- Mallet would've stayed for the low price of 1 kidney.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
He'll be taking anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life to keep his body from attacking the new kidney. Still, he got the donation in time, and major props to his coach. Amazing that player and coach happened to be a transplant match.
February 9th, 2011 at 12:50 AM ^
not necesarily...
depends on how closely matched they were, and what was done pre-op... That's the likely outcome though. Still way better than daily dialysis.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:59 PM ^
Very, very classy and compassionate of the coach. Major props to him and Wake Forest.
But sad that the first thing we think of is how it can be used for recruiting. I don't mean that as an attack on the OP, at all, just kind of a cynical comment on human nature.
February 9th, 2011 at 1:03 AM ^
I didn't think he was being serious about this being a recruiting advantage. More just saying that this coach has the values that a lot of people pay lip service to.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:55 AM ^
What an unbelievably generous act for this coach to help out a player in need. Let's forget about any recruiting advantages though. I'm just worried whether or not this coach and player will be able to relate to each other.
/s
February 9th, 2011 at 12:04 AM ^
I hope he brought enough internal organs to share with the whole team...
February 9th, 2011 at 1:18 AM ^
Someone call the NCAA. That's gotta be some sort of improper benefits violation. According to WIRED a kidney costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $85,000.
February 9th, 2011 at 10:08 AM ^
So wait, if you donate your kidney, do you get to take an $85K tax deduction?
EDIT... at first I was joking, but now I'm curious... can you take a tax deduction on donating something that, technically, has no value, yet is priceless to someone?
February 9th, 2011 at 9:59 PM ^
That was my first thought on hearing this, sadly. I suppose the kid can just say he didn't know about it, since he was unconscious at the time?
February 9th, 2011 at 8:09 AM ^
The bylaw blog touched on this on Twitter last night:
RT @bylawblog: Compliance and kidneys: donating an organ to a student-athlete is likely covered by Bylaw 16.4.1.
Q:Sounds to me like giving a kidney is an improper benefit for a scholarshipped student-athlete to receive.
RT @bylawblog: @BadWillHunting @andy_staples All athletes are allowed to receive essentially any medical expense.
Q: If a coach gives a player a vital organ, is that an impermissible benefit?
RT @bylawblog: I don't believe so & you can get a waiver too.
Q: What if a coach gave a kidney to a kid's AAU coach?
RT @bylawblog: Would need a waiver, probably could not recruit his kids anymore.
February 9th, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^
A transplant from a college coach to a player or coach to whom there is no relation would probably never happen. Transplant centers (in this country) are pretty careful when dealing with unrelated donors that there is no "secondary gain". Mostly this refers to money, but ANY compensation is screened for. Now if the college coach happened to be best friends with some H.S. coach or something, then that is different...