By JACOB WOERTHER
Sports Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — The Oregonian claimed that Oregon football players Doug Brenner, Cam McCormick and Sam Poutsi were all admitted to a local hospital after the team’s initial offseason workout.

The Oregonian went on to say that Poutsi’s mother reported that her son was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a syndrome that is a result of over-exertion. Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscular fibers die and enter the bloodstream. If untreated it could result in kidney damage or failure, according to the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook.

Before we even get into the syndrome itself, let’s take a look at the current state of Oregon football. The Ducks had their worst season in over a decade, winning just four games and missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004.

Following the disappointing season, Oregon brought in Wille Taggart to be the new head coach and Irele Oderinde to serve as the new strength and conditioning coach.

Altogether, that sounds like a desperate program led by new coaches who are under an absurd amount of pressure to bring the team back to former glory.

Now let’s look at the syndrome itself. According to the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, Rhabdomyolysis causes an extreme spike in creatine kinase (CK), an enzyme found in muscles.

The handbook also states that the U.S. military advises that an individual whose CK levels exceed 5,000 should seek medical treatment. Andrew Grief from “The Oregonian” reported that hospitalized athletes had CK levels in the 10,000s.

Let that sink in a moment.

The NCAA Handbook and the U.S. military agreed on a dangerous level of CK and these athletes were more than doubling that level.

While it may seem easy to turn and point fingers at the athletes for not being in shape, doing so would be illogical. These are extraordinary athletes playing at D-I level who are accustomed to rigorous training.

Oregon’s reckless training and ignorant coaching staff placed its athletes in real danger. Looking ahead, it is essential that the university reevaluate both the structure of its program and its coaching personnel.