You've been recruited to play the sport that you love at the collegiate level, but you've also suffered an injury that may hinder your performance or cause you to miss the season. What do you do? Thankfully, the NCAA has a policy in effect that allows any athlete to receive a medical redshirt. Throughout this article, we will take a deeper look into how you can qualify for a medical redshirt and how it works.

This is not to be confused with a normal freshman redshirt that student-athletes can get. A freshman redshirt is oftentimes given out in order to maximize an athlete's time at the school, especially when it is expected that they wouldn't get a large chunk of playing time in their first year. By doing this, the athlete cannot participate in games, but he or she can continue to practice with the team and complete their academic year. An individual can only have one redshirt year throughout their college years, UNLESS a medical redshirt is granted.

Related: Redshirt Process for Division III Athletes

How Do I Get One?
According to the NCAA rules, in order to be granted a medical redshirt, the athlete must:

• Suffer an injury that is deemed “season-ending”
• Their injury must occur before the halfway point of the season
• Not participate in more than 30% of the season's games

It is important to note that the injury has to be season-ending. A season ending injury results when an athlete suffers a major injury in which they will be sidelined for several months. However, it is ultimately up to the athlete to decide if they want to go through with surgery or medical repairs as opposed to playing through the injury. There are many injuries throughout a collegiate season that could qualify you for a medical redshirt depending on when they occured.

Related: Redshirt | Everything You Need to Know & Athletes' Personal Experiences

What to Do If You Suffer an Injury
If you suffer an injury and are aware that it is most likely a serious injury, do not wait to tell your coach or get it checked out. The longer you wait to get an x-ray or MRI, the more you are putting yourself at risk of worsening the injury or missing the deadline to receive a medical redshirt.

Related: 2 Ways to Qualify for a Redshirt Year

The Bottom Line
While nobody wants them to happen, injuries do occur. While there are ways to help prevent injuries, you can only do so much to prevent a freak incident. Luckily, your college years could be preserved with a medical redshirt.

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* Originally published on March 14, 2022, by Ashton Grenon