Missouri To Pay $2 Million In O'Neal Death

The University of Missouri will pay $2 million to the family of a former linebacker who collapsed on the field and died during a 2005 preseason workout.

Boone County Circuit Judge Gary Oxenhandler approved the settlement in a brief hearing Thursday. The agreement ends a lawsuit over the death of Aaron O'Neal, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman from suburban St. Louis who collapsed on the Memorial Stadium field during a voluntary workout in July 2005. He died less than two hours later.

The settlement also requires the university to pay $250,000 toward a scholarship fund in O'Neal's name. A university attorney says the school wanted to permanently honor O'Neal with the gesture.

"We have been honoring Aaron for the last 3½ years," said Steve Owens, general counsel for the University of Missouri system. "We wanted to find a way to continuously honor him."
Under the agreement, Lonnie O'Neal, the player's father, will receive $1.3 million plus court costs. Deborah O'Neal, his estranged wife, will receive the remaining $700,000, plus legal fees.

Lonnie O'Neal will have "sole input" on behalf of the family regarding requirements and eligibility for the scholarship in his son's name. He attended the 15-minute hearing but declined comment.

A statement issued by the university after the hearing noted that the settlement attributed no fault to the 14 employees named as defendants, a group that consists of football coach Gary Pinkel, athletic director Mike Alden, team medical director Rex Sharp and 11 trainers and strength coaches.

The lawsuit alleged that school employees failed to take medical precautions required by O'Neal's sickle cell trait. The hereditary condition has been linked to heat stroke and exercise-induced collapse.

"It's difficult to describe the emotions that are involved in something like this," Alden said in the statement. "You're certainly relieved that the legal process is over, but you still have this void that was created by Aaron's death that can never be filled. My hope is that the closing of the legal chapter is beneficial for everyone, and that the O'Neal family knows that our thoughts will continue to be with them."
The university will pay about $600,000, with the balance coming from its insurer.

In 2007, the National Athletic Trainers' Association recommended that college teams screen athletes for the inherited blood disorder, noting some trainers mistake the ailment for heat exhaustion, muscle cramps or heart problems.

At least 10 athletes have died under such circumstances in the past eight years, ranging in age from 12 to 19 years old, according to a study from the association. The study also notes the deaths of 13 college football players at schools that did not test for sickle cell trait or had "a lapse in precautions."