As you've probably heard by now, 12 Hawkeye football players were hospitalized on Monday. The hospitalizations resulted in a diagnosis of exertional rhabdomyolysis. What is that? It is the result of over exertion and damaged muscle fibers being released into the blood stream. The body has trouble processing them and it can lead to several serious conditions including kidney failure. A serious situation that is unpredictable at best. Athletes in the prime of their life can develop the condition from any exercise. Several case studies have shown that an athlete has developed it from working over several days to as little as one set of negative curls. A female freshman developed it from playing ultimate frisbee for a couple hours. There are lots of causes raning from complex workouts to doing one single set of a simple workout.
However, one journalist out there decide to take it upon themselves to call for the firing of someone at the University of Iowa and to hold them responsible. Gregg Doyel called for the firing of someone at the University of Iowa in response to the hospitalizations. For performing workouts that they do every year and is expected by all University of Iowa football players. A workout that effected 12 of the Iowa football players, not all. So it was a workout that was not unreasonable because clearly some players had no problem with it. A workout that these players want.
The University of Iowa is known as a school that turns prospects into NFL players. Several Iowa players that have gone one to NFL careers weren't recruited by any other Div. I (FBS) schools. Yet Iowa turned them into NFL players. Not just any NFL players, arguably some of the best at their positions. How did Iowa do it, through a rigorous and tough training regimen. The same one they use today. There are risks with this type of high level training. There always is, but there is also the possibility of great reward. Now only reward for the school, but reward for the athlete. Do you think the former Hawkeyes in the NFL would trade their NFL careers for having not done the tough workouts?
Ask Stafon Johnson at USC. Accidents can and do happen when training. Did someone deserve to be fired at USC following Stafon Johnson's accident? Probably not. It was a slip of a bar bell. Yes, this was a tough workout that caused the Hawkeyes problems. No, it is not an unheard of workout as it has been completed many times before by many Hawkeye football players.
Adam Rittenburg of ESPN did a great interview with Iowa's Strength and Condition Coach Chris Doyle. In the interview Doyle discusses how the Hawkeyes individualize each workout program to each player. "You're looking at a sport where a 5-foot-10, 180-pound defensive back is going to compete on the same playing field as a 6-foot-7, 315-pound lineman. That needs to be addressed in their training" said Doyle to Adam Rittenburg. Iowa looks for players that are not highly recruited but have the tools to work hard and earn their success.
Workouts early in the calendar year are known to be the toughest for all football players across the country. It is the off-season and the time when college football players are in muscle build mode. You hear coaches all the time talking about how championships are won in the offseason. When you fail to prepare you prepare to fail, or any other cliche.
Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports wrote a great piece on the workout culture of college football. The Iowa football incident was the inspiration of the article, but the bigger picture and the nationwide issue was his main topic. In his piece he discusses 19 deaths that have occurred during this workout period over the last 10 years. 19 deaths that occurred during the off season.
The training is tough, but its not the toughest training in the world and may not be the toughest training in college football. An unfortunate incident occurred, but it is certainly not a fire-able offense. The players are taking a risks by asking to be college athletes. Regardless of the school there is always a risk involved in this high level of training. Gregg Doyel posted to twitter "Twelve Iowa football players hospitalized after workouts? TWELVE? I want answers - and maybe a coach to get fired." He was irresponsible and sensationalist. No one will pay attention to him unless he is calling for someone to get fired. He took less care with his nuclear technology than Homer Simpson.
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