http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2001/0812/1238466.html
Reports: Banned supplements used by Wildcat players
Northwestern University said it will investigate newspaper reports that Rashidi Wheeler's death could be linked in part to the use of banned dietary supplements.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Wheeler, who died Aug. 3 after a preseason workout, and other players had used supplements designed to build strength, according to teammates and other sources.
Northwestern sports information director Mike Wolf told The New York Daily News the school would include an investigation of supplement use by the team in its overall review of the circumstances surrounding Wheeler's death.
At least four players collapsed during a strenuous drill on Aug. 3 -- 28 sprints ranging from 100 to 40 yards -- that was requisite for players. The temperature that day on the field along Lake Michigan, on the northern reaches of Northwestern's campus, was in the 80s.
Wheeler, 22, a senior starter at safety, was among those who collapsed with several sprints remaining. In what teammates have described as a chaotic scene, with staff rushing from one player to another, Wheeler, a chronic asthmatic, appeared to revive, but then he stopped breathing.
The Chicago Tribune reported school officials are looking at whether Wheeler and the other players took a supplement that contains ephedra, an over-the-counter stimulant, prior to the workout. Ephedra can cause high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and even death, according to a Daily News investigation on supplements published last month.
It is not known if Wheeler ingested supplements on Aug. 3.
A unidentified Northwestern player told The Times that following the players' collapse, suspicions immediately turned to the use of Ultimate Orange and Xenadrine, two of many performance-enhancing supplements available over the counter. Both contain ephedrine, a stimulant banned by the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee.
"I've never seen so many guys falling like that," the player told The Times. "After (Wheeler) passed, guys were like, 'Some guys took Ultimate Orange.' "
The Tribune reported that a Wildcats player, who asked not to be named, said he saw teammates taking a supplement the day Wheeler died. The report did not name those players and said Wheeler was not seen taking the supplement.
Another unidentified Northwestern player told The Tribune he saw Wheeler ingest an ephedra-based product on other occasions.
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti reported Sunday that Wheeler's family members said they believe Northwestern condoned the use of banned dietary supplements and knew players were using them. However, the family members said they feels it is Northwestern's negligence, not supplements that is the the primary issue in the death of Wheeler.
Northwestern linebacker Kevin Bentley, Wheeler's close friend, said it was common knowledge that some players were relying on Ultimate Orange and Xenadrine.
Wolf told The Daily News that players are required to "discuss the use of supplements and get approval by a trainer or official before taking them."
Reports: Banned supplements used by Wildcat players
Northwestern University said it will investigate newspaper reports that Rashidi Wheeler's death could be linked in part to the use of banned dietary supplements.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that Wheeler, who died Aug. 3 after a preseason workout, and other players had used supplements designed to build strength, according to teammates and other sources.
Northwestern sports information director Mike Wolf told The New York Daily News the school would include an investigation of supplement use by the team in its overall review of the circumstances surrounding Wheeler's death.
At least four players collapsed during a strenuous drill on Aug. 3 -- 28 sprints ranging from 100 to 40 yards -- that was requisite for players. The temperature that day on the field along Lake Michigan, on the northern reaches of Northwestern's campus, was in the 80s.
Wheeler, 22, a senior starter at safety, was among those who collapsed with several sprints remaining. In what teammates have described as a chaotic scene, with staff rushing from one player to another, Wheeler, a chronic asthmatic, appeared to revive, but then he stopped breathing.
The Chicago Tribune reported school officials are looking at whether Wheeler and the other players took a supplement that contains ephedra, an over-the-counter stimulant, prior to the workout. Ephedra can cause high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and even death, according to a Daily News investigation on supplements published last month.
It is not known if Wheeler ingested supplements on Aug. 3.
A unidentified Northwestern player told The Times that following the players' collapse, suspicions immediately turned to the use of Ultimate Orange and Xenadrine, two of many performance-enhancing supplements available over the counter. Both contain ephedrine, a stimulant banned by the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee.
"I've never seen so many guys falling like that," the player told The Times. "After (Wheeler) passed, guys were like, 'Some guys took Ultimate Orange.' "
The Tribune reported that a Wildcats player, who asked not to be named, said he saw teammates taking a supplement the day Wheeler died. The report did not name those players and said Wheeler was not seen taking the supplement.
Another unidentified Northwestern player told The Tribune he saw Wheeler ingest an ephedra-based product on other occasions.
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti reported Sunday that Wheeler's family members said they believe Northwestern condoned the use of banned dietary supplements and knew players were using them. However, the family members said they feels it is Northwestern's negligence, not supplements that is the the primary issue in the death of Wheeler.
Northwestern linebacker Kevin Bentley, Wheeler's close friend, said it was common knowledge that some players were relying on Ultimate Orange and Xenadrine.
Wolf told The Daily News that players are required to "discuss the use of supplements and get approval by a trainer or official before taking them."