Reactions about Purdue University medical team range from surprised to nonexistent

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Bobby Speight caused quite a stir in the college football world yesterday. The father of Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight went public with his description of the Purdue University medical team and its capabilities when his son was injured in a September football game. Today many of the key characters involved took to the Internet to respond to the Speight family’s allegations.

In an article for the Detroit News, Tony Paul reported that officials from the NCAA and Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski have not returned messages for comment. The buck continues to be passed around Purdue for comment, as both the Student Health Center and the chairman of the Purdue Board of Trustees Mike Berghoff both declined. Instead, they referred other questions to the athletic department and the communications staff for the university.

Joe Norsworthy, a donor for Purdue University was quoted in the same article. He is very disappointed in the preparation and apparent response from this alma mater’s medical team.

“In this day and age, and with (Purdue’s) focus on science … I’m guessing, they probably do a lot of things at Purdue to advance the very equipment that they’re not using,” said Norsworthy, who earned his master’s in science and management from Purdue in 1992 — and who said his email to Purdue’s president was similar to the comments he made to The News. “It’s shocking. You know there’s gonna be injuries in a sport like that. That is quite surprising and hard for me to understand how that happened.

“And if that happens in other places,” he added, “then shame on them, too.”

Others, however, have taken the opportunity to voice their opinions publicly. Michigan offensive lineman Grant Newsome opted for the social media route, taking to Twitter to respond.

More on this story as it develops. Certainly, this situation is not painting Purdue University or the Big Ten in a particularly good light.