Adam Schefter Knows His HIPAA Violations
Dak tried to avoid answering the vaccination question by claiming it was a HIPAA violation to do so. It isn’t, by the way. It very much isn’t. At this point, a player dodging the question isn’t a new story nor is another fairly prominent player coming out against the vax a big surprise. Dak didn’t technically say he was vaxxed but at this point, if you avoid the question, it’s pretty obvious you probably aren’t getting the shot. People spent the day making HIPAA jokes and a good time was had by all. All it did was remind me of the time I lost respect for Adam Schefter.
Schefter came onto my radar in the late 2000’s because he always seemed to be right. He was aces for NFL network and I remember him breaking a lot of stories. He got hired by ESPN and kept up the same track record. He’s good at his job. But it didn’t take long for ESPN to corrupt the guy. He started giving speculation and analysis instead of just reporting. Then, he decided to be a bad reporter too, and somehow obtained JPP’s hospital file after JPP blew his fingers off. He tweeted out legitimate, confidential medical records so he could ensure he was the one who got the scoop. We would have found out what happened in detail anyway, but he had to be first and have the scoop. I don’t know how he obtained them, but the whole case was settled out of court later. A good reporter wouldn’t have done something like that. He should have gotten JPP’s permission or at least found a less invasive way to break the news besides just straight up sharing a picture of confidential medical information. Schefter is still good at his job and still one of the more trustworthy sources out there, but I can’t look at him the same way after that incident. As badly as we all wanted to know what was up with JPP that week, how we found out felt dirty. I hope he’s ashamed of how he handled that.
As for COVID NFL news, the league announced a new policy that if a breakout infection happens amongst unvaxxed players and a game is unable to be scheduled, the team will forfeit the game and none of the players will be paid. It’s a pretty big punishment and sends a clear message and if some players who got vaxxed lose a game check because of the ones that didn’t, that’s going to be a fight. It’s another way the shot really isn’t just a personal choice. Being protected affects everyone around you, now both monetarily and healthwise. The steep rule honeypotted a couple more players to reveal they are anti-vaxxers (Nuk and Leonard Fournette) and was generally a big topic of debate.
I’m fine with the new rule but mostly because I don’t think there is much chance of it happening. There was no vax and a ton of breakout infections last season and the NFL didn’t have to cancel any games. A few got moved around to weird times and the Broncos got fucked over with their QB situation but if the NFL could manage last season the chances of a breakout infection and the game not being able to get rescheduled feels pretty low. It feels mostly like the league is just sending the message to get the damn shot. I’m fine with that, but I don’t think anyone who did get the vax should lose a game check when they did their part. That’s probably my only gripe. But it might get some more players to get the shot thanks to peer pressure, so we’ll see.
football is the ultimate team sport, as they constantly say
yeah it sucks to be fucked over by a teammate when you did everything right but it does certainly reflect the spirit of the game
I’ll believe the NFL will cancel a game when I see it
Schefter lost a lot of respect from me and other Packers fans when, after breaking the news about the rift between Rodgers and the Packers, he admitted later that it was broad strokes and he broke it on draft day to get as much press as possible. It also caused it to overshadow a lot of draft picks. Then he “broke” the news that Rodgers turned down a contract the same day as the Bucks’ game 6. …But that news was already out in early May by Rapoport and McGinn, so he again tried to overshadow a sports event, but was mocked by other sports writers for being 2 months late.
Shefter seemed like a good guy but he’s gotten very bad lately. ESPN ruined him.
Shifty Schefter
HIPAA protects you from having third parties disclose your medical information to other third parties that don’t have some kind of authority to receive it (primarily things related to treatment or payment) without your permission. It doesn’t protect you from being asked a question in a press conference. There are other laws, regulations, and social customs that protect you from that. Also NFL players do sign away a limited amount of HIPAA protection because of the injury list anyway.
Dave: Thank you for spelling it right. There’s very few things more annoying than people who spell it HIPPA.
I don’t think what Schefter did in that case was right either, but is it coincidence that it was a Giants player, and THAT was the time you lost respect for him? Maybe this is an impossible hypothetical, but are you sure you’d have felt the way if it was a player from a team you hated?
What Schefter did with JPP is also not a HIPAA violation. Schefter isn’t a “covered entity”. The person who committed the violation is whoever leaked the medical report to Schefter. But once he got it, HIPAA in no way prevented him from distributing it.
If a team has to cancel, tell ’em they’ll have to play a doubleheader the next week!
As someone who got the shot, I think there is a bit of a witch hunt going on for people who aren’t vaxxed. Getting the shot doesn’t mean you won’t get sick and it doesn’t mean that you can’t still be a carrier. Yes, there are loads of opinions on this stuff. But no, one side isn’t entirely right. If someone doesn’t want to do it, why is that a big deal? Before anyone starts in with the “they could get others sick” stuff, I’m very aware of that. But like I said, vaxxed or not, you can still be carrier. I don’t have to google that. I have friends who have experienced it. Is that really our biggest issues to report on?
1: It’s July, there isn’t much else to report on
2: The Polio vaccine was roughly 60-70% effective but everyone got the shot and now Polio is basically gone. Dismissing the vaccine because it’s not 100% protection is dismissing the entire point of vaccinations. It’s an extra layer of defense that benefits your own immune system and the people around you. Herd immunity. The more people have that base layer of defense, the harder it is for the virus to gain a substantial foothold, spread through a community, and the easier it is to fight and eradicate. So is it a perfect shield? No. But the benefits are still substantial for yourself and your community.
We’d get through this mess sooner if more people got the shot. I just want this to be over.
It’s never going to be over. It’s going to be with us for as long as we are still on this Earth. With enough vaccinations and regular boosters its impact might be contained to being comparable to a flu. But that’s the best we can hope for. It’s never going to be over. Between this and wildfires, Mother Nature is fed up, and she’s fighting back. Sooner rather than later, we will lose.
Having said that, go ‘Hawks, and if you haven’t already, go get your shot
we beat small pox thru (primarily) vaxxing.
The polo thing was brought up to me earlier today. My retort was just what Doug here said, the flu. There’s no guarantee. But there is a certainty of failure without effort. I’ve seen so much about this just this week that it’s almost sickening. What really bothers me is that almost nobody is nice about it. One side says I’d rather die than get vaxxed. The other side says die then. What good does that do? I mean, unless they’re a Cowboys fan, that type of mentality is uncalled for. Why not help educate why it’s important, nicely and informatively instead of wishing death upon everyone who believes something different than what you or I do. Why not try to understand someone’s position on why they feel what or how they do. I guess it’s unreasonable to attempt to treat people fairly and act reasonably. Not saying that’s the case anywhere here. I just mean in general.
is that really our biggest issue to report on?
that you even ask this question indicates that you are, in fact, not very aware of how vaccines actually work, in which case dr google is not going to be of any help
I meant about sports. Sports reporters are reporting about vaccinations like they’re the CDC. It was more a hopeful statement that maybe we can find something sports wise that isn’t bad or condemning to report about. Football was something that people could enjoy and bond over. But the last several years has brought one divisive issue after another. That’s not dismissing them. Address real problems yes. But more often than not, people are allowing themselves to be divided because they pick sides. Few people to understand the saying about walking in someone else’s shoes. They’d much rather tell that person why they’re wearing the wrong shoes to begin with.
“Getting the shot doesn’t mean you won’t get sick and it doesn’t mean that you can’t still be a carrier.” condoms aren’t 100% effective either, neither are seat belts, nor driving sober, nor cooking chicken to 160f, nor ANYFUCKINGTHING.
there is a “witch hunt” because these people are effectively real-life witches. they look just like you and me, but they can kill/weaken/sicken you and the rest of the community silently and invisibly, and there is a holy “sacrament” that neutralizes them. not getting vaxxed, without a GOOD reason, is selfish, anti-social behavior.
fuck, condoms is a really good analogy
Except, stupid people are still stupid, vaccine or not. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen boast about getting a shot then proceeding to act 10 ft tall and bulletproof like the virus can’t affect them OR anyone else around them. I know people who got sick after coming in contact with someone who had the vaccine but exposed themselves (willingly) to someone who had tested positive for COVID. They carried it others, becoming a hazard to others, because they thought only about themselves.
I got the fucking shot. So I get it. But there are a lot of really stupid people in this world who don’t get it, shot or not. Some people are cautious. They have the right to be. Some are just Cole Beasley level stupid. My point is that getting vaccinated only helps people if you do the right things. Like telling people to wash their hands or cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze is some revolutionary new method.
Okay, since no one else has done this yet:
Seems like Shefter is a HIPAA-crite! Bu-DUM! Thank you!
(slinks off…..)
It doesn’t have to be with us forever. Polio is literally no longer with us. It is eradicated. If everyone got vaccinated for COVID-19 we could eradicate that too. Agree with you about the wildfires though 🙁 We need to get this climate crisis under control.
Ok, I just thought of this:
The Washington HIPAAs
How about the Washington Forked Tongues?