Beardown,
Keep in mind that there are multiple layers to how/why/when those details were kept private, and none specifically has to do with Waggener - they are the same layers that are present in every similar case.
1. Does the student-athlete want to make this info public? No? There are protections in place to keep that from happening IF they want it to remain private.
2. Does the coach want to make this info public?
3. Does the athletic administration want to make this info public?
In the news biz, its become tougher over the past decade to get some info that was basically expected by the public. The #1 item limiting what's released by hospitals, police, schools, etc., is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Add the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to that, and you've got two very onerous laws in place that send administrators scurrying a bit.
In terms of covering their butts, most oversight groups keep their mouths shut unless they've been given explicit approval to say something about the situation. Its not uncommon nowdays to hear about a traffic accident where someone's been hospitalized, but the media can't get the condition, name, etc., because its not been cleared.
Now, I could get into the arguments about what the laws truly cover or don't--my brother delivered an earful to me this weekend when I brought HIPPA up--but, I've already probably bored you...Let's just leave it as student-athlete info is protected more now than it ever has been, especially what info gets out to the media.