NCAA Passes Sickle-Cell Testing: Does it Discriminate Against or Protect Athletes?

By Adam Y. Siegel and Robert L. Clayton   On April 13th, the NCAA’s Division I Legislative Council approved a new rule permitting voluntary testing of student-athletes to determine if they are carriers of the rare but potentially deadly sickle-cell trait. The Council’s vote comes on the heels of a settlement between Rice University, Conference USA, and the parents of a deceased Rice football player, Dale Lloyd, who died after a rigorous practice. Lloyd was a carrier of the sickle trai