What makes you fail a physical?

[Dave Gray]

Just curious.  Is there a standard reason?

[Brian Fein]

I'm no expert but I think there could be a variety of reasons.

I assume you mean for an athlete, not for standard Joe Schmoe

I would think that stuff like pain under stress, blood flow, and oxygen conversion rate would be considered.  I don't know what kind of things athletes undergo during a physical, but if a guy has, say, a bad back, and can't walk on a treadmill at 10 degree incline without pain, then maybe he "fails" the physical...

I'm guessing here.  That's how I always understood it...

[Dave Gray]

I don't see how it could be pain or else these players just wouldn't report it until they got signed.  I just read in another thread about how the guy can't pass a physical.  Is it certain stress tests, blood pressure, sugar levels, cell counts maybe?

[Defense54]

Depends on the injury. Maybe he can't do a push up or a bench press.  In my Job If I break a pointy finger and can't pull a trigger I'm unfit for duty.

I'm guessing an Athlete needs to be able to train. You can't train , your unfit for duty. I'm pretty sure that guy can do 99% of the jobs out there no problamo. But for an NFL athlete he can't do it.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I also imagine it would vary from position to position. 

A nose tackles isn't expected to have the same running ability as a WR. 

[Phishfan]

I don't see how it could be pain or else these players just wouldn't report it until they got signed. 

Sometimes pain is visible. When I was in school I injured my knee while at a camp. The following week was when my physical was scheduled but my knee had not healed. Had this been for a professional team rather than just high school I doubt I would have passed the strength tests they put me through because they could see something was wrong, I didn't have to mention it at all.

[bsfins]

I think it varies team, to team....IE Drew Brees....Dez Bryant, had an irregular heartbeat,but that wasn't made public until after the draft,Sergio Kindle's Injury wasn't really reported until after the first day of the draft.

Every trade is pending the physical,wasn't the Eddie Moore Trade Vetoed when we traded him somewhere,because he failed a physical...

In college I failed the physical,because of insurance concerns...I think the NFL,it's about the liability...That would be my guess...

Modified to add...I think like in my case,they wanted to see if the surgery in my knee was done properly...A good example I think would be TE Cornelius Ingram TE drafted by the Eagles in the 5th round last year.He probably failed most physicals,because they knew the knee would fail again,and He dropped to the 5th round.His knee failed again in Training camp...

[StL FinFan]

I don't see how it could be pain or else these players just wouldn't report it until they got signed.  I just read in another thread about how the guy can't pass a physical.  Is it certain stress tests, blood pressure, sugar levels, cell counts maybe?

The player in question had knee surgery and has had others in the past.  I guess he is not healed from it yet.