Former Texas A&M trainer says he was pressured into clearing injured players

A former Texas A&M athletic trainer says he was pressured into clearing "good" players, and that other trainers were fired for refusing to jeopardize the safety of their players.

In a one-on-one interview with Jon Frankel on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," Karl Kapchinski revealed that over his 31 years with the Aggies, he was told on countless occasions to let the best players return to game action, despite not getting proper clearance.

Here's a brief transcript of the interview, provided by HBO to the Statesman:

FRANKEL: Did you ever feel pressured to return a player to the field before you thought he was ready?
KAPCHINSKI: I would say yes. ... While we're considered part of the medical staff in a lotta cases, the head coach just sees you basically, in some cases, being subservient to his situation.
FRANKEL: Did you ever have a coach say to you, "I need this kid back?"
KAPCHINSKI: Yes. They would always, you know, tend to put pressure on you to get good players back.
FRANKEL: Is there anybody you put back into a game and you said, "Mm, I wish I hadn’t done that?"
KAPCHINSKI: Yes.
FRANKEL: Because it went against your better judgment, or because it resulted in the player limpin' off the field two plays later?
KAPCHINSKI: Because it resulted in the player having a subsequent injury.
FRANKEL: If you said to a coach, "Coach, I know we said it was gonna be four weeks, but we need an extra week." What would the coach say to you?
KAPCHINSKI: You would be challenged on your character, your credentials. You know, maybe you were the wrong guy for the job.

KAPCHINSKI: There's been a lotta great quality athletic trainers that have subsequently lost their jobs because they stood up for the players or were doing the right thing.

Kapchinski was named Div. 1 College Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2005 by the National Athletic Trainer's Association.

On Nov. 1 2013, he was abruptly fired. Kapchinski filed a lawsuit against the school in 2015, stating that athletic director Eric Hyman dismissed him due to his age, although he was just 56 when he was terminated.

Earlier in January, Hyman stepped down from his position.