Breitmann Tuning » tead recommends that doctors and trainers not dire

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- C.J. Beathard says hes fine. Now, he cant help but laugh at the rumors and frantic texts he received this week asking if he had a broken ankle -- or worse.Beathard missed a couple days of workouts this week with a bruised knee after his left knee got rolled up on in practice. The senior quarterback returned to practice Friday and looked sharp in limited reps Saturday during Iowas annual Kids Day workout at Kinnick Stadium.Fortunately, its nothing major, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. If there was a game today, he would have been playing full speed.Beathard wore a precautionary knee brace Saturday at the teams final public practice before it opens the season against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 3. Beathard has worn a brace before, but says it slows him down too much.Iowas three backup quarterbacks took more snaps than usual during the scrimmage at the end of practice. Ferentz said it was an opportunity to see what they could do with the first-team offense.Beathard participated in seven-on-seven drills and then played only two series during the scrimmage. But he says the knee feels good and hes relieved its only a minor injury.It could have been a lot worse than it was, Beathard said. It didnt look good.The Hawkeyes, who went 12-2 and reached the Rose Bowl last season, are hoping Beathard can finally be healthy this fall.Beathard was banged up most of last season with a hip injury and still earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, throwing for 2,809 yards with 17 touchdowns against only five interceptions.Beathard had surgery to repair a sports hernia in January. He missed the teams spring game in April with a bruised right shoulder -- another precautionary move.Given Beathards injury history, its not surprising that rumors swirled this week on social media and online when he wasnt seen in photo of practice posted by the university.I start hearing all these rumors and people texting me, asking me if I broke my ankle, Beathard said. Im like, `Where do you get this information from? Its funny for me.Beathards injury drew the most attention, but several key Hawkeyes missed Saturdays practice.Tight end George Kittle, cornerback Greg Mabin and linebacker Ben Niemann -- all starters -- did not dress Saturday. Ferentz expects them back in practice as early as Monday.Sophomore Jay Scheel, who emerged this offseason as someone to help with Iowas depth at wide receiver, missed practice with a hamstring injury. Hes expected to return next week.Ferentz said tight end Jon Wisnieski (knee sprain) is going to miss a couple weeks and defensive lineman Jake Hulett (leg fracture) is out 4-6 weeks.The Hawkeyes will finish their fall camp Friday with a closed scrimmage.Custom Giants T-shirts . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. Cheap Custom Giants Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.customsfgiantsjersey.com/ .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. Cheap Giants Jerseys . The 25-year-old Japanese star has officially been posted by his club team, the Rakuten Golden Eagles. Custom Giants Jersey China . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss.Medical personnel caring for NFL players should no longer report to team management or coaches, according to a Harvard Law School report published Thursday.The recommendation comes in a 493-page report?following a two-year study by The Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School?into the various stakeholders who influence, or could influence, the health of NFL players.Our report shows how the various stakeholders might work together to protect and support NFL players who give so much of themselves -- not without benefit, but sometimes with serious personal consequences -- to one of Americas favorite sports, said Glenn Cohen, professor of law at Harvard Law School and co-lead of the law and ethics initiative as part of the study. NFL football has a storied history and holds an important place in this country. The men who play it deserve to have their health safeguarded and their health concerns addressed. We hope our recommendations in the report serve as a catalyst for this important work.About 175 doctors work with NFL teams. While both players and teams have a shared interest in player health, the study notes that a player may feel compelled to return from an injury more quickly than recommended and that the doctors role as a team employee creates a conflict of interest in making those decisions.The intersection of club doctors dual obligations creates significant legal and ethical quandaries that can threaten player health, according to the report.The report instead recommends that doctors and trainers not directly communicate with teams about player health. It proposes a wwritten Player Health Report that would include their condition, a recommended level of participation in practice and games, and an estimated time before they are back to full participation.dddddddddddd Separate team doctors would have access to that report and could consult with team officials but would not handle any treatment.Also among the 76 recommendations in the report are that doctors treating players should be selected by a neutral committee with representation from both the NFL and NFL Players Association, that health issues should not be used in collective bargaining agreement negotiations and that there should be a separate short-term injured reserve for players diagnosed with a concussion.The NFL has challenged the studys findings. According to The Washington Post, Jeffrey Miller, the NFLs executive vice president of health and safety, sent the researchers a 33-page response rejecting the idea that NFL doctors have conflicts of interest. He called the studys proposed changes untenable and impractical.NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league would study the report and discuss the recommendations with its clubs and medical staff and the union.The research was funded by the NFLPA, although Harvard officials insisted the research was independent of player or league influence.Additional reports are scheduled to be released regarding other legal and ethical issues affecting player health.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '