Board of Regents: 90-day investigation launched

A 90-day investigation has been launched into the hospitalization of 13 University of Iowa football players, according to a joint statement released Thursday by the Iowa Board of Regents and UI president Sally Mason.

Monday, 13 Iowa football players were admitted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after winter workout sessions triggered an outbreak of rhabdomyolysis, a muscle injury syndrome that can lead to kidney injury. After more than three weeks of Christmas break, players began offseason training last Thursday and Friday.

During a Wednesday news conference, UI officials said the workouts and hospitalizations were connected.

The Board of Regents statement revealed Thursday that the UI had already began a "root  cause analysis" and that "independent medical experts in the process from the earliest moments."

“Going forward, it is essential that we take the necessary steps to understand the factors that led to this to ensure that it never happens again,” David Miles, president of the Iowa Board of Regents, said in the statement.

A 90-day investigation would take this into April. Results of the analysis will be presented to the Board of Regents upon completion.

“The primary aim of this analysis will be to identify, to the extent possible, the root causes of this incident in order to create and implement effective preventative measures to ensure this does not happen in the future,” Mason said in the statement. "It is an essential responsibility of the University to determine what is likely to have caused this rare condition among so many young men at one time, and to share those findings.”

During Wednesday's news conference, Dr. John Stokes, a UIHC internist, said there are hundreds of causes for rhabdomyolysis.

"When it occurs in young, otherwise healthy individuals, one of the common scenarios we look for is a recent exercise," Stokes said.

He called an outbreak a "little unusual."

"I suppose the first thing that one would look at as a cause for all 12 or 13 of these individuals would be to say, well, what was common about particularly the exercise program," Stokes said, "were they -- and/or were they ill with some other problem. Did they have a viral illness, or as I mentioned before, diarrhea or something like that."

Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness told the Gazette on Thursday that the country attorney's office is not looking into the matter and hasn't been contact by any of the parents of the affected players.

Biff Poggi, the father of freshman linebacker Jim Poggi, said Wednesday that he's been satisfied with the care his son has received and the communication he's had with UI coaches, including head coach Kirk Ferentz and linebackers coach Darrell Wilson.

"So to be completely honest with you, that [his son being admitted to the hospital after workouts] concerns me and his mom," Poggi said. "However, I would tell you that the responsiveness of how we have been dealt with has been -- we have been happy with that. Very happy with what's happened at the hospital. I can tell you that they are getting a lot of care."

The Board of Regents statement also praised the care the athletes have received.

"Our immediate focus is the full recovery of each of the young men involved, and we continue to closely monitor the medical condition of our student-athletes," the statement said. "In that regard, we commend the UI Athletics Department for its quick response to the student-athletes' health needs, and wish to express our confidence in the care that they are receiving at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics."

STATEMENT REGARDING THE HOSPITALIZATION OF 13 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The health and well-being of students at all of Iowa's Public Universities is of paramount concern to the Iowa Board of Regents and to the University of Iowa. As such, the recent hospitalization of 13 University of Iowa football players following pre-season workouts is a cause for grave concern. Our immediate focus is the full recovery of each of the young men involved, and we continue to closely monitor the medical condition of our student-athletes. In that regard, we commend the UI Athletics Department for its quick response to the student-athletes' health needs, and wish to express our confidence in the care that they are receiving at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“Going forward, it is essential that we take the necessary steps to understand the factors that led to this to ensure that it never happens again,” said David Miles, president of the Iowa Board of Regents. “This morning President Sally Mason and I agreed to a 90-day timeline for completion of a root cause analysis of the events that led to the need to hospitalize these young men. At President Mason's direction, this analysis was already underway shortly after the incident, and I appreciate the University's efforts to involve independent medical experts in the process from the earliest moments.”

“The primary aim of this analysis will be to identify, to the extent possible, the root causes of this incident in order to create and implement effective preventative measures to ensure this does not happen in the future,” added Sally Mason, president of the University of Iowa. “It is an essential responsibility of the University to determine what is likely to have caused this rare condition among so many young men at one time, and to share those findings.”

 Results of the analysis will be presented to the Board of Regents upon completion.