College Football Player Collapses During Practice, First Responders Work to Revive Him Then Rush to Hospital
A Utah State football player collapsed at spring practice this week and was hospitalized.
The player was given medical attention by the school’s medical staff, according to KUTV.
KUTV reported that medical staff were attempting to provide CPR to the athlete, and showed video of the rest of the team kneeling as a group of at least nine first responders worked.
BREAKING: A Utah State University football player was transported to a nearby hospital after collapsing on the field during spring practice.https://t.co/T5N1aBCizS
— KUTV2news (@KUTV2News) March 23, 2023
“A Utah State football player had a medical emergency at practice Thursday afternoon and was transported to Logan Regional Hospital,” a statement from the school said, according to KSL-TV.
The college did not identify the player, provide any information on the nature of the medical emergency or provide an update on the player’s status.
Writing on Outkick, David Hookstead noted that other college athletes have experienced similar incidents.
“It’s an incredibly troubling trend nobody seems to have an answer to. What is causing so many young athletes in the best shape of their lives to collapse and suffer heart issues?” he wrote.
“That’s a question people need answers to and nobody should be afraid to ask for clarity on the situation,” he said.
There are no clear answers yet to that question, with some suggesting coronavirus vaccines or lingering effects of COVID-19 could be to blame.
A study by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles published in October found that heart attack deaths have become more common among all age groups in the U.S. since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The age group hit the hardest has been people between 25 and 44, who saw a 29.9 percent increase in “observed” compared to “predicted” heart attack deaths by 2021.
Dr. Yee Hui Yeo, the lead author of the study, stated that the explanation for the increase in heart attacks could be that COVID-19 triggers or accelerates pre-existing coronary disease, even in younger people.
“We are still learning the many ways by which COVID-19 affects the body, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or race,” Yeo said.
A 2016 study by the American College of Cardiology estimated that between 100 to 150 sudden cardiac arrests impact athletes every year in America. That pre-pandemic study suggested that in athletes under 35, either genetic or acquired anomalies were responsible for the deaths.
In comments made the day before the incident, head coach Blake Anderson told the Deseret News that the spring camp was early, but that much needed to be done.
“Over the next month, we need to make sure we have a great foundation on both sides,” Anderson said.
“We have to identify leaders, we need to make sure our fundamentals improve, and we have to be technically sound. If we get that done, we will have a good starting point, because we still have the summer and fall camp and we don’t need to rush it to get everything done,” he said.
“The players have handled it very well in the meeting room. The question is, ‘How are they going to handle it when we get out on the field?’ That will tell us how fast or slow we need to go in terms of our offensive and defensive install,” he said.
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