What went wrong with Benjamin St-Juste?
This came up in the Gabe Newburg thread . . .
Benjamin St-Juste was given a medical a few years back. He's now reportedly about to win a job as the starting slot CB for the Washington Commanders.
So obviously something went wrong. If he was processed, seems like there was a big error in player evaluation. If it was a real medical, seems like some doctor was grossly over-conservative given that he's been cleared, variously, by the doctors at U Minnesota, at the NFL Combine and with the Commanders (and IIRC, he's been reasonably injury-free since he left Michigan).
Either way, it seems like someone screwed the pooch. Did the public ever learn about who fouled up, and whether there was anything done to make sure it wouldn't happen again?
So there goes your fact-free theory that M fucked up.
He could have been telling the UM Docs how bad the pain was over and over. He could have been accurate or over dramatic or cautious, and they made the cautious judgement. He could have downplayed the symptoms to the other docs when he knew if he described things previously, he wouldnt be cleared. Not always black and white. Rest may have contributed mightily as well
He managed to get firebombed by 2020 Michigan.
How the hell is he in the NFL?
He was young.
Damn, with the amount of people here that were clearly were there when the doc gave BSJ the diagnosis, you'd think we'd have an answer
“Commanders.”
LMAO.
August 11th, 2022 at 2:55 PM ^
It's a clown show of a franchise.
He was CANADIAN
They thought there was an exchange rate on his eligibility.
I need to stop taking you seriously and FFS, put a shirt on already!
Crazy Ivans.
😉
He was a mid-round NFL draft pick, so I'd say everything worked out pretty well.
I'm happy for him.
And, I don't really care to think about some ancient history mistaken medical diagnosis. There are 1000 better things to think about to be honest.
August 10th, 2022 at 12:24 AM ^
And if another player is determined to be medically ineligible by Michigan's Drs, who then goes on to have a successful, injury free career at another school and professionally?
All good to you? As long as Michigan's Drs put their stamp on it you're on board?
And since when is 3 or 4 years ago "ancient history"?! Did COVID destroy your perspective of the passage of time?
August 10th, 2022 at 8:55 AM ^
wow you're coming in hot. I dig it.
and yes, COVID has affected me greatly personally: I lost a cousin, a friend, and the ability to respond properly to message board posts.
you are right, though, if this happens repeatedly, it's probably an issue. but if it happens once, well, it's probably not worth posting, esp. since literally everybody already has discussed it, more than once, on this very board. it's like you woke up and posted "JT was short!"
MY FIRST DOUBLE POST IN A WHILE PLEASE FORGIVE
I heard he had the apple juice farts real bad and the whole team asked the doc to bag him and tag him.
So the nutritionist screwed the pooch?
Time to investigate the Gophers for performance enhancing Beano.
The Curious Case of Benjamin St Justton
I asked after this and was told simply Michigan's medical staff wouldn't clear him and that's that. He got another opinion and Minnesota took a chance. I'm glad it worked out for them and for him. I'm sure Michigan's doc prefers to have been wrong in this instance. I don't know what their review process is, because that has nothing to do with any football people I talk to. All they say is the one thing that isn't going to happen in this program is the coaches putting any kind of pressure on the medical staff to make decisions based on football considerations.
August 10th, 2022 at 12:40 AM ^
We all love you man, and appreciate your insight into this process, limited as it may be.
If St-Juste ends up being a 1-time thing, then fine, it's over. The player found another school that would let him play, he got drafted, Michigan is in a much better place now than it was then. No losers here.
My repeated concern is that this process has been vetted as carefully as if they'd decided the other way & he did get injured. We all know that would have been wrung out as a topic (i.e. Shane's concussion).
Sweeping it under the rug & criticizing anyone who's curious about the process (as indicated in ~90% of the replies in this thread) benefits no one - not the players, the team, or even the fanbase. Although they be having a hard time facing that!
August 10th, 2022 at 9:39 AM ^
Yeah, you keep repreating -- that's the problem.
So to repeat what others have said, if there is a vetting process it can't be public, so you won't know it. So your concern is wasted.
This is not an area where the public gets oversight.
August 10th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
Questioning whether Michigan manipulates medical hardship waivers as roster management is absolutely fair game, especially since there's evidence Harbaugh's program might have done so in the past (Ondre Pipkins), and that it's a common practice at some other schools, e.g. Alabama. I can't even tell you for certain that it didn't happen here (and bit them in the ass). If the player isn't talking about it, though, we have to take the program at face value. Remember, the core of justice is convicting the innocent is worse than not convicting the guilty.
August 10th, 2022 at 2:00 PM ^
Fair enough Seth.
I will use the highly unscientific method of tallying up/down votes as evidence that few on this platform are concerned whether Michigan uses medical redshirts as roster manipulation, or whether their Drs just plain got this one wrong.
I disagree, but accept that I'm part of the minority on this topic, on this blog.
Consider it Officially put to rest - for now...
August 10th, 2022 at 4:32 PM ^
I will use the highly unscientific method of tallying up/down votes as evidence that few on this platform are concerned whether Michigan uses medical redshirts as roster manipulation, or whether their Drs just plain got this one wrong.
Once again, there is absolutely nothing that says the doctors got anything “wrong.” BSJ having a healthy career to this point in no way, shape, or form negates any potential risks he’s playing through. Just because the worst hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it’s not there.
One more injury could lead to permanent damage that goes with him for the rest of his life. The Michigan doctor can’t in good faith clear him to play. Another doctor may simply just make BSJ aware of the risks and leave the decision to him.
Ultimately, we don’t and will never know exactly what went down. Certainly we don’t know enough to say anyone “got it wrong.” Different doctors will have different recommendations/treatments for the same ailment. Neither is wrong. You keep ignoring this, and that is why you’re getting negged repeatedly.
August 10th, 2022 at 7:34 AM ^
Do you even lift, bro? Doctors “practice” medicine. It’s not an exact science.
August 10th, 2022 at 9:08 AM ^
Outside of research medicine... I'm not sure I'd even call it a science.
August 10th, 2022 at 9:09 AM ^
Personally - I think all medical scholarship decisions should be made by independent doctors unaffiliated with teams.
August 10th, 2022 at 2:02 PM ^
A potential area of agreement!
Progress!
August 10th, 2022 at 4:45 PM ^
You’d probably have to tie in some sort of liability protection for the school. If the school doctor says no, and the independent doctor says he can play and then there’s a significant injury to the specified body part, the school would want to be protected from a lawsuit.
August 10th, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
You also have to remember that Benjamin St-Juste graduated with his degree from Michigan before transferring to Minnesota.