Iowa football players released from Hospital

Kirk Ferentz/thematadorsports.com

We've been following this strange story all week. The last of the 13 University of Iowa football players who were admitted to the hospital last week after over-exerting during a workout, have been released.

There was a ton of concern both in Iowa and nationally after the players were admitted with symptoms of rhabdomyolysis which affected their kidneys. The players, allegedly, had been subject to a weightlifting drill and apparently pushed to the point of exhaustion.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz caught a lot of heat for not coming back from a recruiting trip when it happened and for the schools seemingly slow response to the issue. Ferentz wouldn't talk about it publicly, until Sunday.

Read the newspaper story from thegazette.com RIGHT HERE

We are still shaking are heads and wondering what the heck is going on up in Iowa. Between this and the rumored...and reported drug problems on the football team, it almost sounds like someone doesn't have control of things. We won't cast aspersions....yet. But someone has some 'splainin' to do. Thus far Ferentz and AD Gary Barta haven't exactly been fountains of information, we'll see if that changes.

Your statement from the school on this past weeks events: (ctsy: hawkeyesports.com)

"Getting all 13 student-athletes healthy and out of the hospital has been priority number one all along, so I'm very happy that they all are now back home and resuming their lives," said Kirk Ferentz, the UI's head football coach. "These young men and their families have been through a difficult and trying time. They are under my supervision and watch, and I am truly sorry for what they've experienced. They trained extremely hard and ended up in the hospital, and there is no indication they did anything wrong. So I'm pleased they are progressing well and I look forward to seeing all of them being back to normal." The University's athletics department earlier had confirmed the release of five student-athletes Friday. Six more were discharged on Saturday, and the final two were sent home on Sunday. "Now that these students are out of the hospital and on the road to recovery, we can devote our full attention to determining what happened, and making sure it does not happen again," said Ferentz. "There has been a lot of speculation by those who don't have the facts and it is unfair and inappropriate for anyone to make wild guesses about what happened."

"We obviously are extremely pleased all of our student-athletes have been released from the hospital and can begin the return to their academic, athletic, and personal lives," said Gary Barta, the UI's director of athletics. "We now can focus exclusively on discovering the root cause of this situation, and I'm anxious to work with President Mason's group to this end. We will review every aspect of the workouts and talk with everyone involved. The staff and coaches who work with these young men are highly respected professionals who are dedicated and care deeply about our student-athletes. I hope those who follow our program will respect this process moving forward and refrain from any further unproductive rush to judgment."

Here is a video of the Iowa workout program--which is what started this mess: