After a rocky start to the Willie Taggart era at Oregon, it appears the school is ready to close out an ugly off-field chapter this weekend and move forward.
A school spokesperson told CBSSports.com that suspended Ducks strength coach Irele Oderinde will be reinstated on Sunday.
Oderinde, if you don’t remember, was suspended a month without pay after several players were sent to a local Eugene hospital in January following extra strenuous workouts. At least one of the players displayed symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, which could have led to kidney damage if not treated quickly.
The most notable change to the team when Oderinde returns is the chain of command. Following the incident last month, the school announced that the strength coach will report to the athletic department’s director of performance and sport science instead of Taggart.
Oderinde came over to Oregon after holding the same position at USF and may not be the only staff member to join (or re-join in this case) the program this weekend if reports are on target about potential receivers coach Michael Johnson. Either way, it seems as though that rough beginning for Taggart and company is slowly starting to move into the rearview mirror with the Ducks.