5 College Basketball Players in Chicago Hospitalized After Workout, Games Postponed

A workout held on Dec. 31 has caused massive ripples in the basketball program of Concordia University, a Chicago-area Division III college.

Five players were hospitalized after the workout, according to The Associated Press.

The Journal of Oak Park and River Forest reported that in addition to two early January games that were canceled due to the incident, a third game on Jan. 14 has also been canceled.

Further, coach Steve Kollar has been temporarily removed, school spokesman Eric Matanyi said, according to AP.

The last player was released from a hospital Saturday, he said.

“The length of the stays varied from several hours to several days,” Matanyi said.

In a letter to parents, athletic director Pete Gnan said following a two-game swing in California, a “particularly high-intensity, collegiate-level circuit training” took place on Dec. 31.

There 0 excuse for why this should’ve happened! Someone within needs to be given the authority to tell a coach “Enough! You need to stop this nonsense now!
Concordia University basketball players hospitalized after ‘high-intensity’ workout https://t.co/TtqwDd0u2b via @CBSchicago

— Dr Jim Berry, SCAT, ATC, NREMT (@DrJimBerryATC) January 7, 2023

In the letter, he wrote that some players had missed a curfew during the trip.

The team, which had been 8-0 prior to the road trip, lost both games in California, according to the Chicago Tribune

“It has been alleged by some that the intensity and difficulty of Saturday’s practice was a direct consequence of the broken curfew earlier in the week. … The university continues to look into the matter and is also working to determine all factors that contributed to the student hospitalizations,” Gnan said.

Concordia has “zero tolerance for harassment or retaliatory actions of any kind,” he said.

“It’s been a long few days,” Ryan Collicott, the father of stricken player Jacob Collicott said, according to CBS. “He was, I guess, dehydrated. Plus, the muscles were breaking down and getting into his bloodstream, I guess.”

Concordia says it will need more time to investigate after basketball players were hospitalized https://t.co/CGhxVKWbwq pic.twitter.com/qazmCBpDFj

— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) January 10, 2023

The Chicago Tribune said players were told to go to a hospital if they had symptoms of rhabdomyolysis.

Rhabdomyolysis (often called rhabdo) is a serious medical condition that can be fatal or result in permanent disability,” the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website.

“Rhabdo occurs when damaged muscle tissue releases its proteins and electrolytes into the blood. These substances can damage the heart and kidneys and cause permanent disability or even death. In the workplace, causes of rhabdo include heat exposure, physical exertion or overuse and direct trauma,” the CDC said.

Dr. Christopher Hicks of Northwestern Medicine said, “Usually you see this sort of stuff in the marathon runners, the soccer players, sort of the endurance athletes,” according to CBS.