Oregon has suspended its strength and conditioning coach, Irele Oderinde, in response to three football players being hospitalized for grueling offseason workouts.
In a statement released Tuesday night, coach Willie Taggart and athletic director Rob Mullens apologized for the conditions that sent tight end Cam McCormick and offensive linemen Doug Brenner and Sam Poutasi to the hospital over the weekend.
"As the head football coach, I hold myself responsible for all of our football-related activities and the safety of our students must come first," Taggart said the release. "I have addressed the issue with our strength and conditioning staff, and I fully support the actions taken today by the university. I want to thank our medical staff and doctors for caring for all of our young men, and I want to apologize to the university, our students, alumni and fans."
Additionally, the school announced that Oderinde, who joined Taggart from South Florida, would be suspended for one month without pay. Jim Radcliffe, the program's longtime strength and conditioning coach whose role has been shifted with the addition of Oderinde, will take over on an interim basis. Additionally, the strength and conditioning coach will no longer report to Taggart, but to a director of sports science. Workouts for the football team have also been modified.
One of the players hospitalized, Poutasi, has officially been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a rare syndrome in which muscle tissue is broken down and leaks into the bloodstream. This can be triggered by extremely intense workouts.
According to the release, no other players "demonstrated negative effects at this time or have been admitted to the hospital."
CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd on Tuesday reported that Oderinde does not have a degree in exercise science, which an expert cited as a "minimal qualification" to hold his current position.
On Tuesday, Northern Michigan offensive lineman Anthony Herbert was found unresponsive in his dorm room following workouts and could not be resuscitated. However, the exact cause of death has yet to be determined.
