Sickle-Cell Testing and the Implications of GINA

By Adam Y. Siegel and Frank Alvarez   The NCAA’s Division I Legislative Council approved a new rule on April 13 that permits voluntary testing of student-athletes to determine if they are carriers of the rare but potentially deadly sickle-cell trait. The trait, found in approximately 8 percent of African-Americans and less than 1 percent of White Americans, has been linked to the deaths of 8 college football players over the past decade. Notably, 21 total deaths have occurred as a resul