University of Oregon strength coach suspended after football players hospitalized

EUGENE, Ore. -- The University of Oregon has suspended football strength and conditioning coach Irele Oderinde one month without pay after three players were hospitalized following a series of intense workouts last week.


The school announced the decision in a statement Tuesday evening and detailed a review of the incident. It added that all future workouts have been modified and the strength and conditioning coach will now report to director of performance and sports science Andrew Murray instead of coach Willie Taggart, who apologized in the statement.

Oregon's statement detailed that players began an off-season conditioning program last Tuesday after six weeks away from "football-related activities" and Oderinde led those workouts.

Three days into the sessions one player complained of "muscle-soreness and displayed other symptoms of potential exercise-related injury." The medical staff took "appropriate action" and two other players later complained of the same symptoms.