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http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/SF/8761419
Herrion's preliminary autopsy inconclusive
NFL.com wire reports
DENVER (Aug. 21, 2005) -- The cool Colorado evening seemed perfect for football, perfect for Thomas Herrion to prove to the San Francisco 49ers he could play in the NFL.
A few minutes after a preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 20 ended, though, the backup offensive lineman collapsed near his locker. He was rushed to the hospital, and shortly afterward, pronounced dead at age 23.
"We lost a teammate and a very good friend," Niners coach Mike Nolan said as the shock of the loss sunk in.
The Denver coroner's office performed an autopsy, but said no cause of death could be determined until toxicology tests were performed. The tests usually take about three to six weeks.
"Our thoughts are with the Herrion family and the 49ers," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We will be in contact with the 49ers to learn the details of what happened."
Herrion's death once again shined a spotlight on the overall health of NFL players, especially the linemen, who routinely weigh in at more than 300 pounds.
It came four summers after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke following a practice in steamy 90-degree weather.
Temperatures were nowhere near that -- mid-60s with 50 percent humidity -- when Herrion was on the field. And while heatstroke is still possible under such mild conditions, the notion that Herrion, or any football player, is in good enough shape to handle rigorous game conditions simply because he's a professional athlete is being questioned all over again.
The first-year guard, a longshot to make the final roster, was listed at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, about average for an NFL lineman. But when measured on the body-mass index scale, which is a commonly accepted standard of fitness in the medical community, Herrion would be considered "severely obese."
And though obesity can't necessarily be blamed for the death -- at least not at this point -- one expert says it surely could have been a contributor.
"Yes, it could be totally unrelated to his weight, but the fact remains that he was 6-3 and he weighed 310 pounds and probably should have been 210 pounds," said Dr. Joyce Harp, a University of North Carolina endocrinologist who recently did a study calculating the BMIs of all NFL players and found that almost all players qualified as overweight or obese.
Before starting training camp last month, Herrion passed the broad range of physicals the NFL demands from all its players.
One of his former coaches at Kilgore College in Texas, Travis Fox, said he roomed with Herrion this summer and watched the lineman work out in the 97-degree Texas heat.
"The young man was in shape," Fox said.
Herrion played his college ball at Utah, and so was accustomed to playing in high altitude such as Denver's, which can intensify dehydration.
He was running down the field with the third- and fourth-team players -- the ones hoping to grab one of the final 53 roster spots -- during a frantic, 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with 2 seconds left in San Francisco's 26-21 loss. While taxing, it certainly wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a professional football player.
After the game, Herrion looked tired, but was walking around the field, shaking hands with the Broncos and joking with some of the 49ers staff. As always in the locker room, medical staffers were on hand. Paramedics were performing CPR on Herrion within moments of his collapse.
"We have done everything medically we could do," said Gene Upshaw, head of the players union. "We have doctors trained in emergency medicine, in heart problems and other specialties standing by at every game. It's not just internists. It's people who know what to do in every emergency. It just wasn't enough."
Stringer's death prompted the NFL to increase efforts to teach players about managing the heat and dehydration. Many teams moved practices out of the hottest hours of the day and began better monitoring of how much liquid players were drinking.
Others have started using devices to measure players' core body temperatures -- a good preventive measure, but almost certainly not something that could have saved Herrion.
Herrion adds to a very short list of NFL deaths that also includes St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain, who died of a heart attack during training camp in 1979, and Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes, who died of a heart attack during a game in 1971.
Herrion spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.
"I think everybody that came into contact with him feels the impact of what just happened," said Sione Pouha, Herrion's college teammate at Utah who's now a rookie defensive tackle with the New York Jets. "It really makes you come down to earth and realize what you really have. It was a shocker. You can't sleep after that."
End.
Parcells liked Herrion as I recall. Not a hugh amount of talent but lots of desire. It's a shame.
http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/SF/8761419
Herrion's preliminary autopsy inconclusive
NFL.com wire reports
DENVER (Aug. 21, 2005) -- The cool Colorado evening seemed perfect for football, perfect for Thomas Herrion to prove to the San Francisco 49ers he could play in the NFL.
A few minutes after a preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 20 ended, though, the backup offensive lineman collapsed near his locker. He was rushed to the hospital, and shortly afterward, pronounced dead at age 23.
"We lost a teammate and a very good friend," Niners coach Mike Nolan said as the shock of the loss sunk in.
The Denver coroner's office performed an autopsy, but said no cause of death could be determined until toxicology tests were performed. The tests usually take about three to six weeks.
"Our thoughts are with the Herrion family and the 49ers," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We will be in contact with the 49ers to learn the details of what happened."
Herrion's death once again shined a spotlight on the overall health of NFL players, especially the linemen, who routinely weigh in at more than 300 pounds.
It came four summers after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke following a practice in steamy 90-degree weather.
Temperatures were nowhere near that -- mid-60s with 50 percent humidity -- when Herrion was on the field. And while heatstroke is still possible under such mild conditions, the notion that Herrion, or any football player, is in good enough shape to handle rigorous game conditions simply because he's a professional athlete is being questioned all over again.
The first-year guard, a longshot to make the final roster, was listed at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, about average for an NFL lineman. But when measured on the body-mass index scale, which is a commonly accepted standard of fitness in the medical community, Herrion would be considered "severely obese."
And though obesity can't necessarily be blamed for the death -- at least not at this point -- one expert says it surely could have been a contributor.
"Yes, it could be totally unrelated to his weight, but the fact remains that he was 6-3 and he weighed 310 pounds and probably should have been 210 pounds," said Dr. Joyce Harp, a University of North Carolina endocrinologist who recently did a study calculating the BMIs of all NFL players and found that almost all players qualified as overweight or obese.
Before starting training camp last month, Herrion passed the broad range of physicals the NFL demands from all its players.
One of his former coaches at Kilgore College in Texas, Travis Fox, said he roomed with Herrion this summer and watched the lineman work out in the 97-degree Texas heat.
"The young man was in shape," Fox said.
Herrion played his college ball at Utah, and so was accustomed to playing in high altitude such as Denver's, which can intensify dehydration.
He was running down the field with the third- and fourth-team players -- the ones hoping to grab one of the final 53 roster spots -- during a frantic, 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with 2 seconds left in San Francisco's 26-21 loss. While taxing, it certainly wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a professional football player.
After the game, Herrion looked tired, but was walking around the field, shaking hands with the Broncos and joking with some of the 49ers staff. As always in the locker room, medical staffers were on hand. Paramedics were performing CPR on Herrion within moments of his collapse.
"We have done everything medically we could do," said Gene Upshaw, head of the players union. "We have doctors trained in emergency medicine, in heart problems and other specialties standing by at every game. It's not just internists. It's people who know what to do in every emergency. It just wasn't enough."
Stringer's death prompted the NFL to increase efforts to teach players about managing the heat and dehydration. Many teams moved practices out of the hottest hours of the day and began better monitoring of how much liquid players were drinking.
Others have started using devices to measure players' core body temperatures -- a good preventive measure, but almost certainly not something that could have saved Herrion.
Herrion adds to a very short list of NFL deaths that also includes St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain, who died of a heart attack during training camp in 1979, and Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes, who died of a heart attack during a game in 1971.
Herrion spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.
"I think everybody that came into contact with him feels the impact of what just happened," said Sione Pouha, Herrion's college teammate at Utah who's now a rookie defensive tackle with the New York Jets. "It really makes you come down to earth and realize what you really have. It was a shocker. You can't sleep after that."
End.
Parcells liked Herrion as I recall. Not a hugh amount of talent but lots of desire. It's a shame.