Rabdogate in today's CFB climate

[Franisdaman]

You’ve read up, I’ve actually had it but yes you are the knowledge expert.

we are not talking about you, some anonymous guy. we are talking about that workout, the mistakes that were made that day, 13 players who where hospitalized as a result, and the changes Iowa made as a result. There is a reason this workout has never been conducted again.

 

[And1Hawk]

we are not talking about you, some anonymous guy. we are talking about that workout, the mistakes that were made that day, 13 players who where hospitalized as a result, and the changes Iowa made as a result. There is a reason this workout has never been conducted again.

I’ve had it. You’ve read about it.

 

[HawkandTackle]

I’ve had it. You’ve read about it.

I've had a kidney stone.

That does not make me an expert on kidney stones.

If a player here or there over the course of KF's 20 year career developed rhabdo independently, one could say they were one off situations.

This was 13 players on the same day after the same workout designed to push them beyond their limits. It was a systemic failure I cannot believe didn't cost the school more money and somebody their job.

Putting 13 kids in the hospital is not an acceptable outcome.

 

[ichawk24]

This workout had been done for years prior, yes?

Similar, but not identical, from what I read when it all went down.

 

[bdg8]

I've had a kidney stone.

That does not make me an expert on kidney stones.

If a player here or there over the course of KF's 20 year career developed rhabdo independently, one could say they were one off situations.

This was 13 players on the same day after the same workout designed to push them beyond their limits. It was a systemic failure I cannot believe didn't cost the school more money and somebody their job.

Putting 13 kids in the hospital is not an acceptable outcome.

This

You can support our coaches and program while admitting they make mistakes.

 

[K OKeefe]

I think it comes down to how much "investigative" reporting ESPN does on the incident. Most of the time ESPN sensationalizes incidences to the point of nausea.

 

[Franisdaman]

I've had a kidney stone.

That does not make me an expert on kidney stones.

If a player here or there over the course of KF's 20 year career developed rhabdo independently, one could say they were one off situations.

This was 13 players on the same day after the same workout designed to push them beyond their limits. It was a systemic failure I cannot believe didn't cost the school more money and somebody their job.

Putting 13 kids in the hospital is not an acceptable outcome.

We all have a bad day on the job.

I think Chris Doyle had a bad day on the job that day. I think he made some miscalculations.

I think the difference was what I noted in post #22. Yes, the workout had been done before. However, the timing of the 2011 workout was different than in 2004 and 2007. The 2004 workout occurred in June, and the 2007 workout was in December after a one-week break. The 2011 workout followed a three-week break.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Coaches make mistakes. It would certainly seem that Doyle made a mistake. KF is responsible for Doyle, so he made a mistake too.

The difference is how things are handled after the mistake, and if the mistake is repeated. Iowa has seemed to adjust and not repeat the mistake.

The kid that passed away at Maryland died in JUNE. WTF? How was this kept from the front page for 2 months? How did the HC and S&C coach adjust for this tragedy? Did they do anything differently?

As long as you have people involved, mistakes are going to be made. How you react to them is where integrity and character come in.

 

[katman15]

They performed the workout previously with no issues. It’s likely the players weren’t in good enough shape or hydrated enough to perform it. The coaching staff can’t babysit the players 24/7 and isn’t at fault for the players that may have been out drinking late or were using non-approved supplements.

This is exactly right....! You obviously know the real story.

 

[Btowngold]

I’m not going to waste my time reading a bunch of fluff, PR. Bottom line is this can happen anytime to anyone who is working out intensely with large muscle groups. To think you can forever prevent it is a misnomer outside of just not working out.

The only saving grace is we now have experts who know how to set and monitor exact workout lines for each individual player.

If it could happen anytime to anyone, it would. Doyle is/was paid(by the state of Iowa)to provide his EXPERTISE in building the strength and conditioning of these young men. Safety of these young men is a big part of the oversight he provides. He failed miserably in this instance and there were young men hurt who trusted him. If this happened today, a thorough independent investigation would be demanded and Doyle would most likely be gone. It is amazing that some folks can try and downplay what happened because it involved their beloved team. We live in different times than just 7 years ago.

 

[hwk23]

If it could happen anytime to anyone, it would. Doyle is/was paid(by the state of Iowa)to provide his EXPERTISE in building the strength and conditioning of these young men. Safety of these young men is a big part of the oversight he provides. He failed miserably in this instance and there were young men hurt who trusted him. If this happened today, a thorough independent investigation would be demanded and Doyle would most likely be gone. It is amazing that some folks can try and downplay what happened because it involved their beloved team. We live in different times than just 7 years ago.

There were two cases of Rhabdo at Nebraska in late January. I’m sure Frost fired his strength coach after an investigation, correct?

 

[mikesright]

As far as the non-PR handling of the issue we should be proud of the post workout follow-up done by coaches and trainers for recognizing the symptoms and using an abundance of caution to make sure every player affected got good medical care, unlike the situation at UMD. It has been reported some of the players affected experienced mild symptoms only. The university did not cover up the story and it speaks to the respect players have for Doyle that there was no public outcry from parents or the athletes, and one of the parents was moved enough to serve as a spokesperson. There was one player who sued and sought release, but there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood as far as I can tell aside from getting just compensation for an injury. Being that Iowa has invested in GPS/health/bio monitoring for all players years ago, I doubt what happened at Maryland could even happen at Iowa.

Chris Doyle’s record speaks for itself at Iowa as arguably the top developmental program in the country. It’s amazing - 20 years at Iowa, and this is the only small blemish. Some of you need to look around CFB - this is a molehill compared to the mountains of discarded and mistreated players you’ll see at other programs.

Anyone who tells you there is a specific line you cross with an athlete to give them Rhabdo is a liar, plain and simple. It can happen without warning and affect people of all different sports, and can strike people even in normal daily activities. “Knowing the athlete and their limits” is a fancy way of saying they don’t know at all. Football S&C is designed to push athletes to their peak - by definition you push limits to get performance. It is an occupational hazard unfortunately.

One last point - Great leadership does the right thing in the face of negative consequences for doing said right thing (often bad press). That’s exactly what happened at Iowa. As a fan you should accept the negative news coverage, be proud of the program, and expect it to do better next time. Just like you should expect from the government. This is why things are falling apart in politics...

 

[EddieHaskell]

I absolutely love that Doyle got Coach of the Year. If I recall correctly, he dedicated it to some of the limp wristed folks whining about him an Hawkeye Report.