Oregon strength coach suspended

The University of Oregon suspended football strength and conditioning coach Irele Oderinde one month without pay after three players were hospitalized following a series of intense workouts last week.

The school announced the decision in a statement late Tuesday and detailed a review of the incident. It added that all future workouts have been modified and the strength and conditioning coach will now report to director of performance and sports science Andrew Murray instead of coach Willie Taggart, who apologized in the statement.

“As the head football coach, I hold myself responsible for all of our football-related activities and the safety of our students must come first,” he said. “I have addressed the issue with our strength and conditioning staff, and I fully support the actions taken today by the university.”

Oregon’s statement detailed that players began an offseason conditioning program last Tuesday after six weeks away from “football-related activities” and Oderinde led those workouts.

Three days into the sessions one player complained of “musclesoreness and displayed other symptoms of potential exercise-related injury.” The medical staff took “appropriate action” and two other players later complained of the same symptoms.

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