A muted celebration following Alabama's seventh straight win over Saturday night. It wasn't just the stalled running game that stole some oxygen from Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The 101,821 witnesses saw a disgusted Shaun Dion Hamilton throw his helmet after suffering a season-ending knee injury for a second straight year. Before that, Mack Wilson was carted off with a foot injury that could end his 2017 season. And the stadium went silent when Minkah Fitzpatrick clutched his hamstring in what turned out to not be anything as serious.

It was one of the busier evenings for Alabama's army of medical personnel on the sideline. Outside of the major injuries, a number of minor problems had the sideline examination tent in constant use.

So, what happens when an Alabama football player goes down and doesn't immediately bounce up? Who takes care of the players? And who pays for the medical bills?

Those are a few of the simple questions we set out to answer in the first part of an occasional series exploring the medical treatment and healthcare of Alabama football players.

It can be a complex web, so we sought insight from former players, director of sports medicine/head football athletic trainer Jeff Allen and the Alabama student athlete handbook to answer some of the basics.

Given the money involved in college football and legal action stemming from alleged past negligence, the healthcare of the athletes is worth a closer look.

Part I will answer some of the frequently asked (or possibly pondered) questions surrounding the care of Alabama football players.

How does the game-day medical operation work and who is on site to care for potential problems?

On any given play, Allen estimates there are 10 sets of eyes watching the players. He's specifically paying attention to how they get up after hitting the turf. His full staff is divided between offense and defense, taking care of one unit on the sideline while the other is playing.

There's also an army of doctors on the sideline. Dr. Lyle Cain is one of three orthopedic surgeons at every game. That's in addition to three primary care physicians, a neurosurgeon, two paramedics and even a dentist.

"So, yeah, it's a lot," Allen said. "But we know that we're well covered. That's the thing. I know every scenario that could possibly happen, we feel like we're prepared to handle it based on the personnel that we have."

The SEC also has medical observers watching from the press box to help spot head injuries.

Bryant-Denny Stadium is also equipped with an x-ray machine and the school has an arrangement with a local radiology clinic in Tuscaloosa should it require MRIs or other such tests.

What happens immediately after a player gets hurt?

Unless it's extremely serious, they are usually taken to the sideline first. There, Alabama's famous medical tent becomes a factor. Every minute is critical when diagnosing certain injuries like ligament tears. In the past, they had to wait 10 minutes for a cart ride back to the locker room.

"Their anxiety goes up," Allen said. "Our anxiety goes up. And it's much harder to do. If I can get a guy right off the field, lay him on a table and boom, have an idea, then that's a much better deal. If I can't figure it out on the field. That's why we will take our time on the field before we even get them up. A, to make sure they're safe and B, to try to get an idea what they have."

The major injuries obviously require more immediate care. The minor things are treated a number of ways. Allen said his staff huddles late in the fourth quarter to make a plan for how to attack the issues that came up during the game.

"We will send kids home with things we want them to do," Allen said. "Whether it's some type of a machine, usually, guys are going home that night with a treatment machine that they will use that night and we'll see them the next day on Sunday."

Allen typically waits for Saban to finish his postgame media/recruiting responsibilities to give him the full injury briefing. They often leave the stadium at the same time.

ACL tears are such a big issue. Can a trainer tell right away if it's torn?

"A lot of times, you can tell," Allen said. "With the clinical exam, you'll know."

Again, the sideline tent plays a factor.

"Those first three to four minutes are critical because they're not guarding as much," Allen said. "They know they've been injured but they're still kind of in a state of -- I don't want to say shock -- but they haven't started guarding. Whereas if you get them later and they're all tensed up and it's hard to get an evaluation."

What happens the day after a game?

All players who participated in the game are required to at least check in with the trainers in person to confirm everything is OK. It's not an exam. Players just have to stop by and tell the staff they're not injured.

That's Sunday afternoon in the football complex. Those who were injured start arriving around 11 a.m. to start treatment with the medical staff.

Both Hamilton and Wilson had surgery on their injuries less than 24 hours after getting hurt Saturday night against LSU.

Are injuries worse now than in the past?

"I don't know that we've seen more," Allen said. "I really don't necessarily think we do. I know people talk about, oh the speed and the size has increased so much -- and that's definitely true -- but I don't know that I'm seeing more ACLs and more traumatic injuries than I did 15 or 20 years ago."

The biggest difference, Allen said, is the awareness of everyone involved now.

"That's not only by the public or coaches, but by that athletes, which is great because they're like 'I want this taken care of,'" Allen said. "In the past, even they had the attitude that I was just going to suck it up and not worry about. That's changed and that's a positive thing in terms of they're much more aware of willing to be taken care of and getting the right medical care. That would be the change I think I'm saying."

How does insurance work for athletes?

According to the Alabama student-athlete handbook, the school offers medical and catastrophic insurance.

"This policy, however, is secondary to, or in excess of, personal family medical insurance coverage," the handbook reads. "The secondary medical coverage will only apply for athletic related injuries or issues that directly affect participation."

Allen said it is rare for athletes to come to Alabama without some form of insurance, but in that case, they will be covered by the school. Walk-ons are required to have insurance.

The NCAA also offers catastrophic injury insurance for issues that require more than $90,000 in treatment.

A number of athletics directors have proposed pooling athletes together to drive down costs, CBS Sports reported last year. The company proposing this says the collective purchasing power could save more than $280 million and would extend coverage through the age of 26, CBS Sports reported.

Do football players (or any Alabama athlete) have any out of pocket expenses?

No, not for injuries directly related to or caused by their athletic participation. It is up to the school's discretion to pay for anything outside of that.

"It's not black and white," Allen said. "It's more based on is this a condition that affects their ability to play?"

Previously, NCAA rules only allowed schools to pay for injuries that occurred between the lines. Now, these policies vary from school to school.

"What do you do if you have a kid with an abscess tooth," Allen said. "What do you do with a kid with the flu? What do you do with a kid who has mono? How do you manage that?"

Former Alabama offensive lineman Alphonse Taylor had a number of injuries in his time with the program. He had stress fractures in both legs, finger dislocations, an MCL sprain and several concussions. Because of the stress fractures, Taylor had to have surgery after the 2015 Sugar Bowl loss to Ohio State. He now two rods on his tibia.

Did it cost him anything?

"No, I don't even want to see the bill for that," he said. "I can only imagine."

How much money does Alabama spend on medical care and insurance for athletes?

College athletics is obviously big business in 2017. Alabama's most recent filing with the NCAA showed $164 million in revenue for the 2015-16 year. That includes more than $103 million brought in by football alone.

Those figures have doubled in the last decade as TV money poured into athletics departments like Alabama's. Spending on medical support and insurance has also jumped considerably.

As a full department, Alabama spent $624,677 on medical costs in 2008. In 2016, it was up to $3.16 million. Of that, $1.59 million was spent on the football program.

That works out to an average of $11,806 spent on the 135 football players counted on the NCAA report. For the 597 total athletes at Alabama, the average spent on medical costs is $5,306.

"There's never been a question at Alabama about, 'Oh, we're spending too much in this area' at all," Allen said. "Ever. In terms of how we're investing in them and how we're taking care of them, that has never been a question."

How long are players covered by Alabama?

Upon completion of each season and/or eligibility, the student-athlete handbook states all must complete a close-out screening. It documents any injuries sustained at Alabama and if further treatment/surgery is required.

Athletes have up to one year after finishing their eligibility to have any such surgeries covered by the school.

"No procedure will be paid for unless coordinated through The University of Alabama Athletic Training Department," the handbook reads. "Continuing payment for any medical claims of any pre-existing injury or conditions is at the discretion of the UA Sports medicine staff and Athletic Director."

Allen put it in more plain language.

"Basically," he said, "it's an opportunity for them to say, 'Hey, my knee has been sore, I noticed it a couple of years ago, can I get it looked at? It's gotten better but can I get it looked at?'"

Taylor, now a year removed from his last game in an Alabama uniform, said he still gets texts from Allen checking in on him.

How are major, long-term issues handled?

Allen said there are currently discussions within the college athletics world about taking care of long-term injury issues facing athletes after their careers end.

"There are some things we can do better and differently in terms of making sure, at the end of the day, we have done everything we can to take care of them," Allen said. "That's the biggest thing right now. With the way things are going right now, it's incredibly important to take care of these athletes in every way possible."

These issues are also being addressed in the courtroom. Lawsuits filed by former college football players are seeking money for neurological problems that don't show symptoms until years or decades after their playing days ended.

Almost 100 lawsuits have been filed -- three of which involve former Alabama players who played between 1999 and 2007. The players include Leslie Williams (DL from 1999-04), Ray Hudson (RB from 2001-04) and an unnamed running back who played from 2005-07.

These are separate cases from the $75 million settlement that set up medical monitoring and research to study the long-term impact of head injuries in former college football players.

The legal process with the new round of lawsuits is in the beginning stages. Four of the cases were selected as sample cases to move forward while the cases involving Alabama players are on hold.

How has head injury treatment improved?

The lawsuits have led to any number of changes within the treatment and attention placed on concussions and other head injuries. The final page of the Alabama student-athlete handbook deals with concussions.

"Failure to report symptoms at the time of injury can delay your return to sport but also have a long-term effect on your physical, emotional and cognitive health for the remainder of your life," the handbook states before listing a number of symptoms."

The NCAA in 2015 passed a rule requiring Power-5 football schools to submit a plan/policy for detecting concussions and setting return-to-play protocol. The NCAA does not have its own set of uniform concussion protocols. It briefly had a requirement in 1994 but a year later adopted a rule that stated it was up to the school to set these policies.

Allen said he's seen considerable progress in this realm.

"(Athletes are) much more educated on it because we do a better job of educating them than we did in the past," he said. "They're much more aware of it, clearly, because you hear it on TV and they hear it all the time. They're much more open with that and they report them more so than they used to. I'm sure there are some kids who don't say anything about them, but for the most part, they report those type of injuries."

Michael Casagrande is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande.