Dodd: NCAA Recommends Sickle Cell Test

((HT: CBSSports/Dennis Dodd))

In what could become a landmark case for player safety, the NCAA and Rice University have settled a lawsuit brought by the family of a Rice football player who died in 2006 due to complications resulting from sickle cell trait ((Greg Lloyd is pictured, thanks Fox26Houston)).

As part of the settlement announced Sunday night, the NCAA has agreed for the first time to recommend to its membership that it test for the condition that affects one in 12 African-Americans. While the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook has contained
language warning against the dangers of sickle cell trait for more than 30 years, the association had not formally recommended or endorsed testing, calling it an "institutional decision."

CBSSports.com reported last month that "exertional sickling" a complication of sickle cell trait, is now the leading cause of death of NCAA football players this decade.

The details of Lloyd's death were part of a document obtained exclusively by CBSSports.com detailing the rash of sickle cell traits deaths this decade.

"The most gratifying part about this case is I am very hopeful and optimistic we have seen the last death of a sickle cell athlete," said Eugene Egdorf, attorney for the Lloyd family.

As part of the settlement, Rice will help sponsor NCAA legislation to make sickle cell trait testing mandatory. Testing is relatively inexpensive -- $5 for the initial test and $30-$35 for a confirmation test.

An NCAA spokesman said, "Many of our schools already are testing, and while we can't mandate that test we can recommend that. ... An overall priority of ours is to ensure the health and well-being of our student-athletes."

Dale Lloyd II died in September 2006 following a workout at Rice that included 16 100-yard sprints. The Harris County (Texas) medical examiner stated the cause of death was sickle cell trait. Rice was sued for not testing for the trait. The NCAA was also blamed in the complaint for being "negligent for failing to warn ... about the known dangers and risks from sickle cell trait ..."

During intense exertion, red blood cells can "sickle," thus blocking blood vessels and posing a "grave risk" according to the National Athletic Trainer's Association. Experts in the medical field have speculated in the past they believe the NCAA stopped short of recommending testing because of legal concerns, such as racial profiling. While sickle cell trait affects 8 percent of the African-American population, Caucasians can have the condition but are less at risk.

Sickle cell trait deaths in football have become tragically more common in recent years. Five of the 10 deaths in Division I-A football this decade have been attributed to the condition. Since 2000, seven of the 19 non-traumatic deaths in all divisions have been linked to sickle cell trait. Almost half of such deaths in college football -- 15 since 1974 -- have occurred this decade.

A 2006 NATA survey showed 64 percent of Division I-A schools screen for sickle cell trait. In 2007, the NATA took a strong stance, releasing a consensus statement advising schools on how to deal with the condition.

Missouri recently began testing for sickle cell trait after settling with the parents of deceased player Aaron O'Neal for $2 million. O'Neal died in 2005 following an offseason workout due to exertional sickling. The family of Ereck Plancher is suing Central Florida. Plancher collapsed in March 2008 during offseason conditioning drills. His death also was attributed to sickle cell trait.

It is possible to compete safely with the condition. It is recommended that athletes with sickle cell trait be allowed to acclimate themselves gradually to strenuous drills.

Oklahoma's training and medical staff has been a leader in research of the condition and a testing advocate. Curtis Lofton found out he had sickle cell trait after being tested at Oklahoma. He went on to become an All-American linebacker as well as the 2007 Big 12 defensive player of the year. Lofton made several NFL all-rookie teams in 2008 after his first season with Atlanta.

Lofton was incredulous when told recently the NCAA didn't recommend testing.


"Really, are you serious? That's crazy," he said. "How many kids are going to have to die before they make these tests mandatory? I would highly recommend that you do tests. Save a life and save a lot of heartache."

All 50 states screen for the condition at birth, but in many cases families aren't told the results, or they forget or ignore them. The NFL Combine reportedly screens for the condition but obviously that doesn't cover all players who come into the league. In 2007, Steelers safety Ryan Clark had his spleen and gall bladder removed after complications due to sickle cell trait.

The college deaths have followed a familiar pattern: They occur in practice or conditioning instead of practice or a game, and involve overexertion.

"I'd like to think the NCAA thought it was the right thing to do," a person close to the Lloyd case said of the settlement. "I would have liked to think the NCAA lawsuit was the driving force in getting this thing done."

Going forward, the NCAA will produce an educational video on the dangers of sickle cell trait. It will also donate $50,000 to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and $10,000 to the Dale R. Lloyd II scholarship fund.

Rice now tests all athletes for sickle cell trait. Lloyd's coach at the time, Todd Graham, was a defendant in the lawsuit and is covered by the settlement. Graham is currently at Tulsa.

Here's coverage from our friends at Fox26 in Houston...
FOSG Mark Berman has the report...

Missouri Failed To Follow Policy In O'Neal Treatments

((HT: CBSSports))

University of Missouri officials failed to follow policies for medical emergencies when freshman linebacker Aaron O'Neal collapsed and later died during a 2005 summer workout, according to legal documents obtained by the Associated Press.

The university agreed in March to pay $2 million to O'Neal's parents to settle a lawsuit. But the sworn testimony of several key university employees who supervised the workout show a series of missteps.

Athletic department employees also showed an unfamiliarity with potential exercise-induced complications caused by sickle cell trait despite NCAA, school and professional association requirements. O'Neal carried the inherited blood disorder that affects an estimated 8 percent to 10 percent of African-Americans.

The school's strength and conditioning director, who supervised the workout, testified he lacked the necessary professional certification to be hired. And the athletic department's sports medicine director rejected requests from concerned colleagues and players to examine the 19-year-old reserve linebacker even after he exhibited signs of medical distress, legal documents provided to the AP show.

O'Neal's death has loomed large over a Missouri football program that under coach Gary Pinkel vaulted into the national championship chase in recent seasons. The school kept his empty locker intact. Players and coaches chanted his name before and after games and cited his memory as inspiration.

But the July 12, 2005 death also raised questions about player safety and a school's responsibility to monitor its athletes' pre-existing medical conditions. The debate isn't limited to Missouri: In March 2008, Central Florida wide receiver Ereck Plancher -- like O'Neal a 19-year-old redshirt freshman with sickle cell trait -- died in an offseason conditioning session. His parents have also sued the school.

Missouri agreed in March to pay O'Neal's parents, settling a 3½-year-old suit before trial. The settlement includes language that attributes no fault to Pinkel, athletic director Mike Alden, sports medicine director Rex Sharp, strength and conditioning director Pat Ivey and 10 other current or past university employees.

Sharp, Ivey and Alden did not reply to AP interview requests.

"People here feel that this book is closed," university spokesman Chad Moller said. "The most important issue for all of us was the tragic loss of Aaron."

O'Neal, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound redshirt freshman, began to struggle about 45 minutes into the hourlong workout. Players wore shorts, T-shirts and cleats but no pads. He completed the first four of six agility drills without problem, but began to falter during the fifth drill, which he was told to repeat.

By the final drill, O'Neal complained of blurry vision. At one point, he sunk to his hands and knees. When a 300-pound offensive lineman completed the drill first, O'Neal was ordered to repeat it three more times.

"I'm trying," he said, when told to jog and not walk back into line. "I'm not weak. I just can't go on."

O'Neal eventually slumped to the ground and was helped off the field by a teammate to a nearby locker room.

In a deposition last August, Ivey testified that he expected Sharp to examine O'Neal at that point. But Sharp declined -- and rebuked wide receiver Brad Ekwereku for "babying" O'Neal by squirting water on the player's head.

Sharp later testified in his own deposition that he did not assist O'Neal "because he thought he was a recovering athlete and I've seen that in my years of experience many times."

Ivey said he turned his attention to dealing with a small group of reporters who saw the workout. Testimony shows that Ivey and others supervising the session were worried the performance by O'Neal and several other players would create negative publicity.

Once in the locker room, O'Neal's condition worsened. Two strength coaches left the area before strength coach Josh Stoner decided to flag down a campus landscaping truck, which then carried an unconscious O'Neal to the team offices rather than a hospital one-quarter mile away.

The athletic department's Emergency Action Plan advises employees to call 911 "as soon as the situation is deemed an emergency ... or is life-threatening."

University employees also offered conflicting accounts about the frantic moments after O'Neal was taken from the stadium but before he made it to the hospital. Sharp said once in his office he saw O'Neal in the truck. He testified that he hesitated to call 911 because Stoner came inside and said "I need help," but didn't mention O'Neal by name. Stoner testified he immediately identified O'Neal as the player needing help.

And once Sharp went outside to the truck, he left his cell phone behind, further delaying the call for help. Another trainer inside the building then called 911. O'Neal died soon after he arrived at University Hospital, about 90 minutes after the workout ended.

O'Neal's official cause of death, according to the former Boone County medical examiner, was viral meningitis. But that was later discredited, and several outside experts cited sickle cell trait.
At least 13 college football players with the inherited blood disorder have died from exercise-induced trauma, according to the National Athletic Trainers Association. In 2007, the group issued a report urging colleges to screen for sickle cell trait. Missouri tests its athletes only at their request.

Missouri's sports medicine handbook stipulates that Sharp and his assistants be familiar with the medical literature concerning sickle cell trait. In his deposition, Sharp said he was not aware of the requirement.

Sharp, the school's head athletic trainer since 2006, was named assistant athletic director for sports medicine in 2008. Ivey, a former Missouri defensive end who played for three NFL teams, was appointed assistant athletic director for athletic performance in 2007.

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."