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Apparently, those first two consultations didn't go the way TJ and/or the Raptors wanted them to. They are seeking yet other opinions. However, I really have to question this move at this point. I assume the two guys that he's already seen are (at least nationally), perhaps world reknowned spine surgeons. I think it's bull the the team is pressuring him to keep getting these opinions until some quack comes out and says, "Hey, you're good to go." I also, question any doctor's sanity who has two experts on record as disagreeing with him. If something goes wrong, that guy is in court within seconds, and probably loses his practice because of it.

I'm all for taking your health into your own hands and getting second opinions on major health choices. However, I'm sure these two guys are the best to be found, and have dedicated plenty of time to their medical judgment. If Colangelo or the rest of the Raps organization has put the 3rd, 4th, 5th opinion bug in TJ's ear, he has to be very careful. Just seems kind of slimy at this point.

I think it shows how badly the Raptors want Ford back. Mitchell was quoted as talking about how much the team misses him. Understandable given how well Ford was playing.

But since the injury my first concern has been Ford's long-term health and I've said he may need to think about retiring. I just think that any time you're dealing with multiple issues to the head and/or neck area you need to be even more careful than you would be otherwise. I hope I'm wrong but I fear retirement may be in Ford's near future.

Dr. Nick: "Hi TJ Ford"

TJ: "Hi, Dr. Nick"

europa wrote:I think it shows how badly the Raptors want Ford back. Mitchell was quoted as talking about how much the team misses him. Understandable given how well Ford was playing.

I get that that they want him back. But say, one doc come out and says, "Go play." You have two experts saying "don't play." Yet now the team has this other guy saying the opposite, and pressuring TJ to rush back because of it.

Seems wrong to me.

But do we know what they actually told him? Watkins was the guy who did the original surgery IIRC.

There's a very good article/interview with TJ below. I posted this a while ago but it sheds some light on his risk factors and what not. TJ says that he *is* in fact at a greater risk of further injury because of his condition, and that his surgery was never supposed to cure his problem. So basically it comes down to weighing the risks, which haven't effectively changed. But I don't know, perhaps these recent injuries suggest he's more prone to continuing problems than they originally thought. Fortunately his situation hasn't technically gotten worse.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ ... basketball

His career is done unless he signs some type of waiver to the team, league and company insuring his contract. And even that would probably not be considered enforceable against TJ by some court down the road.

This is very similar to when Reggie Lewis was having fainting and irregular heartbeat issues. His first doctor said he had cardiomyopathy and had to stop playing. So Reggie went to get a second opinion and that doctor said he didn't have it and that would probably be fine. Of course then Reggie dies on the court. Reggie's wife then sues the doctor (and maybe the team but I forgot that part) She ultimately lost the lawsuit but it had some merit. Of course the whole thing got muddied since it was believed that Reggie's Cardiomyopathy was brought on or complicated by alleged cocaine use.

At this point the team has to have some doctor step forward and take the liability by clearing him to play IMO. And that Doctor has to presumably make such a strong case that it will overule possible cautions given by other doctors in the past month.

That may be a tall order. And the team needs that clearance IMO in order to even then give TJ himself the opportunity to decide if he wants to continuing playing.

If he is smart, he will retire, collect his money for the next 4 years, and come back in 4 years if he thinks he can.

i haven't seen any reports that the first two opinions told him to stop playing. Am I missing something?

If not, maybe the 3rd, 4th, etc are to confirm that he's ok to return.

fam3381 wrote:But do we know what they actually told him? Watkins was the guy who did the original surgery IIRC.

No, we have no idea what they told him. That said, if two experts gave him a clean bill of health, I sincerely doubt that the team would be asking for more consultations.

DH34Phan wrote:If he is smart, he will retire, collect his money for the next 4 years, and come back in 4 years if he thinks he can.

Thats what im saying... I dont want to see that happen to him again...

fam3381 wrote: TJ says that he *is* in fact at a greater risk of further injury because of his condition, and that his surgery was never supposed to cure his problem.

But that's not what GAD says. I think TJ is wrong.

The guy has left 3 games in the last twenty with cervical nerve issues, related to a known cervical stenosis. If someone clears him, I'd be very suspicious.

midranger wrote:No, we have no idea what they told him. That said, if two experts gave him a clean bill of health, I sincerely doubt that the team would be asking for more consultations.

Of course.

At this point I don't see how any doctor is going to make it a black/white issue though...judging by TJ's description, there appears to be no such thing as a clean bill of health for him given his situation. It seems like it might be more a case of doctors simply varying on the extent to which they say he's at risk.

Certainly from a doctor's perspective there's not much incentive to say he should play again. Fortunately there's been no permanent damage caused by his latest incidents, but again, TJ knows that his surgery wasn't a miracle cure. It'd be safest to take his guaranteed dollars and not risk it, but TJ's a basketball player. You can understand why he'd want to ask every last specialist their opinion. Might as well. It's not like there's any personal urgency for him to decide to retire or not, though I suppose the Raptors would prefer that decision to be made as soon as possible for practical reasons.

The Raptors getting TJ's contract insured pulled off an amazing feat.....there just aren't any black and white answers here with spinal and central nervous system problems.

It sucks for TJ and Toronto, but I was always amazed at how that guy actually came back and played with an injury that immediately took a guy like Sterling Sharpe (and many other pro atheletes) out playing pro ball.

It just never logically added up unless you considered TJ's surgery to be a major new breakthrough like Tommy John arm sugery was for pitchers in the 1970's......and maybe TJ's surgery will ultimately be a breakthrough, but right now it doesn't look like it.

By "clean bill of health," I just meant cleared to play.

I'm sure the way the doctors are phrasing it is, "I you choose to continue playing, you will continue to put yourself at high risk of neurological sequelae, the most serious of which is paralysis and/or death."


Thats pretty scary stuff to a guy carried off 3 times in the last 20 games.

Just retire... No reason to continue risking your health.

People can come out and say he isn't as much of a health risk because of prior injury or whatever, I still don't buy it.

If he isn't at risk of getting hurt all of the time...Then why is he constantly injured? And they are never just minor injuries... They are "Will he ever play again?" type injuries.

How many times does he have to get carted out on a stretcher before he can just hang it up?

The basketball fan in my wants him to keep playing, but the practical part of me knows its by far the best thing for everyone if he retires.

It really shakes me up when this stuff happens to T.J., and it has happened way, way too much lately. And even more often than it seems when you factor is "games played," as opposed to just amount of time elapsed.

REDDzone wrote:The basketball fan in my wants him to keep playing, but the practical part of me knows its by far the best thing for everyone if he retires.

It really shakes me up when this stuff happens to T.J., and it has happened way, way too much lately. And even more often than it seems when you factor is "games played," as opposed to just amount of time elapsed.

I completely agree. As a basketball fan, I hate to see him retire but I think it's the right decision for him to make. His long-term health is too important to put at risk.

If he can still get all his money from the contract he signed, there would be no reason not to retire.

Pull an Allan Houston when his contract is up if he wants.

I think he can get his money and isn't there some sort of injury exception that the NBA has in place now that will allow the Raptors to spend the amount of money his contract was?

I guess GAD would have to answer that one... I thought there was some sort of injury exception.