CHICAGO -- The mother of Northwestern football player
Rashidi Wheeler said Friday she hopes the NCAA and universities
around the country will learn from her son's death.
Linda Will, who filed a lawsuit against Northwestern, head
football coach Randy Walker and other athletic department personnel
Thursday, said asthmatics can be competitive athletes but that
college sports programs must be better prepared to respond to
potential emergencies.
Will's lawsuit seeks damages, but she said Friday she also has
other goals.
"I hope that there will be a lot of education, that people will
understand that asthma is not a death sentence," Will said. "It
doesn't mean that you can't compete and participate in sports."
She said she believes a lawsuit is the only way to guarantee
change. Of her son, she said: "He managed his asthma. He had a
problem that day and that problem was not addressed."
Wheeler, 22, a senior safety, collapsed and died during a
preseason conditioning drill on Aug. 3. Bronchial asthma was listed
as the cause of death.
Wheeler's family has made a number of allegations: That there
was no ambulance or oxygen on the scene that day to respond to
Wheeler's attack, and that an on-field phone wasn't working; that
there were too few experienced trainers on hand; and that staff
initially believed Wheeler was suffering from heatstroke or
hyperventilation and provided him a bag to breathe into.
Also, the lawsuit alleges that the voluntary summer workout was
actually mandatory for players and that Northwestern violated NCAA
rules by not having an adequate emergency plan.
Will said that Wheeler attempted to communicate the gravity of
his situation that day, but that staff waited up to 40 minutes to
call for an ambulance.
"When it's clearly stated that, 'I can't breathe, I'm dying,'
what's it take to make a red flag go up?" she said. "Let's get
some help, let's take this seriously."
Northwestern, which has promised a thorough investigation of the
incident, said it was "disappointed" that the lawsuit was filed.
"But it does not alter the university's sympathy for Rashidi's
family for their loss," Northwestern spokesman Alan Cubbage said.
"It is our hope that by working with the NCAA, medical experts and
other appropriate groups, we can help ensure that tragic incidents
such as this do not occur."
Will said that reports Wheeler had had about 30 asthma attacks
while at Northwestern are "grossly exaggerated." Still, she
believes trainers knew of his condition and should have more
quickly diagnosed the problem the day he died.
Toxicology tests on Wheeler's body showed he had the banned
stimulant ephedrine in his system when he collapsed, but the Cook
County coroner said it had nothing to do with his death. The
federal Food and Drug Administration has launched an investigation
into the death.
Will's attorney, James Montgomery, said that issue is
irrelevant, as are questions about whether Wheeler was properly
treating himself before his death.
"He brought credit to the university's football team and when
he had a university-sponsored practice on the field on Aug. 3, they
had on obligation to take care of him, they had an obligation to
get medical care to him," Montgomery said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, although Montgomery said
they would be based in part on Wheeler's potential earnings from a
possible pro career. He said at least three NFL teams had been
scouting Wheeler, and that "it appeared he was well on his way"
to the pros.
Wheeler started last season, but was listed in the team's press
guide -- printed before his death -- as a backup at strong safety
this year.
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