EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University is investigating
whether Rashidi Wheeler and other Wildcats football players took an energy-enhancing supplement before Wheeler collapsed and
died on a practice field earlier this month.
"They're just looking at use of supplements -- whether or not
that was involved in the death," school spokesman Mike Wolf said
Sunday.
Larry Lilja, Northwestern's longtime strength coach, told the Los Angeles Times late Sunday that a Wildcats player told him he "had reason to believe" Wheeler used a supplement the same day he died from a rigorous conditioning drill Aug. 3.
Lilja declined to name the player who made the allegation.
Wolf said players are required to inform team trainers of any
supplements they are using at the time of their annual physicals.
Wheeler passed his physical July 12.
The 22-year-old safety, a chronic asthmatic, died after
he collapsed and was unable to catch his breath. After use of his
inhaler didn't help, he stopped breathing and was pronounced dead
about an hour later at Evanston Hospital, officials said.
The comments Sunday mark the first public allegation that Wheeler had used a supplement the day of the drill. Teammates and other sources alleged Friday he had used them previously.
Whether Wheeler and other players used a supplement is one
question the university is asking as part of its review of what
happened the day Wheeler died, what emergency procedures were in
place and how those procedures were implemented.
Part of the investigation is whether Wheeler received quick and
adequate medical attention by the trainers. Of reports that the
trainers were busy assisting other players who had collapsed, Wolf
said, "Collapsed is too strong a word," but confirmed they were
attending to other players.
Of the use of supplements, there is no evidence Wheeler was
using them and Wolf said it wasn't known if any players were using
them.
But according to the Chicago Tribune, Wheeler's close friend, NU
linebacker Kevin Bentley, said he heard teammates discussing a
supplement called Ultimate Orange, which contains an herbal
ephedrine. Ephedrine is banned by the NCAA.
Those discussions weren't necessarily on the day of Wheeler's death.
"People started saying they were going to take it or might take
it," he told the Tribune. "I didn't see anyone take it."
Wheeler's family wants the focus of his death to remain on
apparent breakdowns in medical care as he died on the field,
regardless of whether he was using supplements.
"The (supplement story) doesn't change anything," said Kim
Will, Wheeler's aunt. "We're trying to keep the focus on what
procedures were followed so that this does not have to happen to
any other athlete. We're seeking major changes so that safeguards
are in place."
The Cook County medical examiner's office indicated in a
preliminary report that Wheeler died from bronchial asthma. A
toxicology report, which will test for ephedrine, will not be
completed for several weeks. Wolf said the school's investigation
won't be completed at least until that report comes back.
However, Wheeler's family, with the help of Rev. Jesse Jackson,
has launched its own investigation.
"We believe there has been negligence," said Kim Will.
Also, Northwestern coach Randy Walker said Sunday night that he had been asked by athletics director Rick Taylor to stop using the drill -- a demanding set of 28 sprints from 100 to 40 yards -- while the university investigates the circumstances surrounding Wheeler's death. Walker said he would comply.
"We are going to look at every aspect of this tragedy," Walker told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday night. "Running. Conditioning -- and that includes the drill.
"I understand the university's desire to be thorough and cover every base," Walker said. "As I said, I welcome the truth."
Told Sunday that the drill would no longer be in use, Jesse Jackson said, "It's a little late, isn't it? A little late."
A Northwestern spokesman today told ESPN that Walker, defensive coordinator Jerry Brown and several players would attend the funeral for Wheeler in Pomona, Calif., Monday at 4 p.m. ET.
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