A very strange comment indeed. I'm not quite sure what it meant, and might be reading it all backwards, in Mudskipper's defence.
As Groucho says, the medical report would never be printed in the papers (and neither should it, it's a confidential document). Doctors involved in this type of sport are paid well by the organisations for their expert opinion, so that organisations and the player involved can make the best decision for all involved; from a player safety, liability and lastly financial (player and team) point of view. If a player is told by their surgeon that they should not play for medical reasons, the ARU / NSWRU etc will not take that chance on the say-so of the player that they reckon they're OK to go. And medical specialists involved are hardly likely to say "Yeah, mate, no worries, have a crack" if they don't believe it - much more to lose if they lose the confidence of the teams by erring that way. They won't lose financially - other work will be around - but they'll lose out on being involved in a sport that they want to be involved in.
Similarly, they don't really "lose" financially if they are sued - that's what indemnity insurance is for. But loss of standing is a potent motivator for those of us with generous egos to get it right!!
