As the disturbing situation involving 13 hospitalized Iowa football players continues into its fourth day -- including news Thursday that the school had launched an investigation into the causes of their medical issues -- a couple of details have emerged that shed additional light on the latest embarrassment facing the university.
The good news is the players passed a significant test -- literally. The bad news is at least some of the people who gave birth to the Hawkeye players are not quite ready to give the head coach a pass for his actions since Monday.
According to Dave Curtis of Sporting News, and citing a source with knowledge of the situation, tests for illegal drugs were performed on all 13 players and each result came back negative. The tests were performed to help determine the cause -- or eliminate one of the potential causes -- of the exertional rhabdomyolysis the players were diagnosed with.
While the tests ruled out illegal drugs in the players’ systems, supplements were not ruled out as a possibility according to the report.
That was the good news. The not-so-good news involved the parents of the players. Specifically, their reaction to head coach Kirk Ferentz‘s reaction in the immediate aftermath of their sons’ hospitalization.
The 13 players were hospitalized Monday afternoon while Ferentz was out on a recruiting junket. Ferentz remained on the trip visiting potential recruits for at least 48 hours after the fact, not returning until after the first press conference addressing the situation was held.The players were expected to receive another visit Thursday night from Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz returned from the recruiting trail Wednesday and visited the players that night. First, he met with a group of parents frustrated that he didn’t return when the players were hospitalized Monday.
“Kirk took a lot of (stuff),” the source said. “But he stood there and took it all. He’s been incredibly remorseful about the whole thing.”
So, based on this report, a group of parents was displeased with Ferentz’s response. Apparently, the media wasn’t just pulling stuff out of its backsides when it lambasted the head coach.
Just as apparent is that the words “shame” and “embarrassed” doesn’t begin to describe how the University of Iowa should be feeling as to how this whole mess has played out.
Going on Day Four of this imbroglio, the head coach has yet to publicly address 13 of his players being hospitalized following workouts he presumably approved. The athletic director’s name was attributed to a statement Tuesday while he was on a Florida golf trip with alumni, and that’s the only time Gary Barta has been heard from.
Neither the head coach nor the athletic director were a part of the first press conference addressing the situation. Neither has spoken publicly in the four days since the players were hospitalized.
Paraphrasing a 19th century poet, to sin by silence makes cowards out of men.