School officials, parents and players remained puzzled Sunday over what caused 19 members of a high school football team in northwest Oregon to suffer muscle damage, which required three of them to undergo surgery, following a fall camp.

The 19 McMinnville High School players all had elevated levels of the enzyme creatine kinase, or CK, which is released by muscles when they’re injured, said Dr. Craig Winkler of Willamette Valley Medical Center. High CK levels can lead to kidney failure if not properly treated.

Winkler called the epidemic “weird,” saying: “To have this number of athletes in one single community in one environment is very unusual.”

Three of the players also were diagnosed with a rare soft-tissue condition called “compartment syndrome,” which caused soreness and swelling in their triceps. They underwent surgery to relieve the pressure, Winkler said.

Five of the athletes were treated in the emergency room and sent home. The other 11 were admitted to the hospital and given intravenous fluids to maintain adequate hydration and prevent kidney failure, he said.

Ten boys remained hospitalized Sunday, but they were in good condition and were expected to be released Monday, said Rosemari Davis, Willamette Valley Medical Center’s chief executive officer.Officials said the epidemic’s cause is still a mystery, but high CK levels can result from vigorous exercise or the use of certain medications or food supplements.

Before their symptoms started this past week, the players were at an immersion camp organized by first-year coach Jeff Kearin. Winkler said they worked out last Sunday at the high school’s wrestling room, where temperatures reached 115 degrees.

He said the high temperature and dehydration may have played a role. He also said officials will look at water sources and what the kids had to drink, including power mixes.

Winkler said blood test results expected Tuesday could show whether the athletes ingested creatine, which is found in legal high-powered protein supplements. He added officials are not testing for steroids because it would be unlikely for that many students to have access, and “creatine makes way more sense.”

Two players said Sunday they weren’t sure what caused their injuries but supplements were not a factor.

Fullback and linebacker Jacob Montgomery, one of the 10 still hospitalized, said he first experienced a tightness in his triceps and forearms Tuesday.

“They swelled to the verge of popping,” the 17-year-old senior said in a telephone interview. “I thought it was just swelling from an intense workout.”

Montgomery said he went to the hospital Wednesday after learning another player went to get checked out.

He and fellow senior Josh Nice both said they haven’t taken any supplements or performance enhancers and neither have any of the other players.

“They don’t know what’s behind this whole thing,” said Nice, a wide receiver hospitalized since Friday. He added he hopes to return to practice as soon as possible.

Winkler said the hospital and school began screening players for CK after the first few were brought to the hospital early last week.

The normal range for CK is 35 to 232 units per liter, but some students showed levels as high as 42,000, putting them at risk of kidney injury, Winkler said. Those with levels in the 3,000 range were treated in the hospital’s emergency room and released, while those with levels above 10,000 were admitted.

Superintendent Maryalice Russell told The Oregonian newspaper she doesn’t believe Kearin’s workout was excessive. She also said she has no evidence steroids or supplements were involved.

“I don’t have any information at this time that would indicate that’s the case,” she said. “I’m continuing to look at additional information as it may come my way.”

Tom Welter, Oregon School Activities Association executive director, said the organization’s medical committee will investigate and make recommendations to the executive board after its next meeting in September. The OSAA oversees school sports in the state.

“It’s a really bizarre situation,” said Nice’s mother, Margaret Nice, whose son Daniel also remains hospitalized. “But we’re all trying to hang in here and hope and pray that they can come up with the answer to what caused this.”

Practices for all fall sports start Monday.

“We just want our boys to get better, and they’re all anxious to get out on the field,” Margaret Nice said.

With all of the celebrity drama over the past few weeks (paging Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan), it’s refreshing to read stories like this one involving Shaun Rogers.

The Cleveland Browns lineman went “above and beyond what the normal, responsible individual would do” when he came across a drunk driver on the highway in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.

Shaun immediately called 911 where he explained the situation to the dispatcher. Further, he followed behind the swerving car, preventing other cars from coming in contact. Finally, when the drunk driver pulled over, Rogers pulled his car up behind and put on the emergency lights to warn other drivers that the cars were on the side. He then waited for police to show up.

The driver was charged with DUI and his passenger was charged with underage drinking. According to police, both individuals blew significantly over the legal alcohol limit.

Shaun Rogers received a letter from the Middleburg Heights chief of police that (among other things) praised him for taking action. “There is no doubt in my mind that your actions, in all probability, averted a tragedy,” says Chief of Police John Maddow in the letter.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The son of former Notre Dame standout Joe Montana was among 11 Fighting Irish athletes arrested on misdemeanor charges of underage drinking at a party Friday night.

A total of 44 people were arrested after city police responded to a call about a fight near a roadway and discovered the party, said St. Joseph County Police assistant chief Bill Redman.

Two non-athletes face a misdemeanor charge of providing alcohol to minors. The arrests were handled by state excise police, who didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment on Saturday.

The most recognizable athletes arrested were Nate Montana, a walk-on who was the backup to starter Dayne Crist coming out of the spring, and Tim Abromaitis, the second leading scorer on the Irish basketball team at 16.1 points a game last season.

Montana spent last season as a backup at Pasadena City (Calif.) College. Several incoming freshmen are expected to compete with him for the No. 2 spot when practice begins next month.

The other athletes arrested were wide receivers Robbie Toma and Tai-ler Jones, linebacker Steve Filer, kicker Nick Tausch, cornerback Lo Wood, and offensive linemen Chris Watt and Tate Nichols; incoming freshman point guard Eric Atkins; and incoming hockey goalie Steven Summerhays.Most of those arrested had been released on $150 bond, Redman said. They are scheduled to make court appearances July 30.

If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said he was aware of the arrests and was gathering information.

“If there is any team-related discipline to be issued, it would be handled internally,” he said.

Bernie Cafarelli, Notre Dame’s sports information director, said basketball coach Mike Brey also would handle any punishment internally.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

by Tim Tucker

July 9, 2010

Commentary
by Dr. Tim Naimi

The alcohol section of the new Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report (PDF) could represent a radical departure from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines¹ if its conclusions are reflected in the final Dietary Guideline for alcohol scheduled to come out later this year. The proposed increase in daily drinking guidelines that would be defined as “moderate” drinking, the lack of randomized studies on the health effects of alcohol consumption, and potentially dangerous public health messages are some of the reasons these proposed changes are concerning – and worth your time to submit comments by July 15.

The current Dietary Guidelines for alcohol provides drinking guidelines outlining the safest way to consume alcohol for the full range of the U.S. population that already drinks alcohol: up to 2 drinks per day for men and up to 1 drink per day for women (2/1 daily consumption guidelines). However, the new Advisory Committee report proposes that 2/1 consumption guidelines be based on average, rather than daily, consumption. Furthermore, the report would explicitly define “moderate” drinking as drinking up to 4 drinks per day for men and 3 drinks for women (4/3 daily consumption guidelines), so long as the average limits are not exceeded.

If most drinkers drank on a daily basis, then 2/1 daily guidelines would be identical to the proposed 2/1 average guidelines.  But this is not how most people drink in the U.S. For example, among men and women who drink an average of <2/1 drinks, respectively, more than three-quarters consume alcohol only 2-3 days per week or less.² Therefore, with respect to the proposed guidelines, most persons’ consumption on any given day would not be constrained by the proposed new weekly (i.e. “average”) guideline, but would only be affected by the new daily guideline. So in fact the net effect of the proposed change amounts to an endorsement for most men to consume up to 4 drinks and for most women to consume up to 3 drinks on days they actually consume alcohol.In any event, the proposed change represents a doubling of the daily guideline for men, and a tripling of the daily guideline for women. Although drinking 4 drinks for men and 3 drinks for women falls just short of thresholds that define ‘binge’ drinking and is not generally pathologic, relaxing guidelines that might cause some to increase their drinking to these levels is neither safe nor desirable from a public health perspective. Specifically, drinking at these levels results in impairment-level blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) for most drinkers, including legal intoxication-level BACs (0.08% or greater) for some, particularly women.³ Furthermore, epidemiologic studies confirm that drinking 4/3 drinks (or to BACs typically associated with 4/3 consumption) is associated with increased risk for unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.^4-6 And daily consumption exceeding the current Dietary Guidelines is also associated with chronic disease outcomes such as hypertension and overweight.⁷ Even among those who consume an average of <2/1 drinks, the report offers no evidence (nor are we aware of any) that drinking 4 or 3 drinks during drinking days is safer for any health outcome compared with consuming fewer drinks.

The current (2005) Dietary Guidelines explicitly discourage anyone from beginning to drink or drinking more frequently on the basis of health considerations.¹ But the tone of this new report creates an impression that alcohol consumption is a viable therapeutic option to be considered and/or discussed with one’s physician. To date, however, there have been no (zero) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of low-dose alcohol and any mortality or morbidity outcome. RCTs are the level of evidence required to approve a new pharmaceutical agent, and should be for an agent that is also a leading health hazard and recognized human carcinogen.^{8, 9} Furthermore, there is good evidence that existing observational studies of “moderate” drinking are likely confounded in ways that bias results in favor of moderate drinkers.^10-12 The bottom line is that reams of consistent observational studies can be consistently wrong and lead to erroneous conclusions with mortal consequences, as in the case of hormone replacement therapy.^{13, 14}

Relaxing guidelines delineating “moderate” drinking is not like recommending someone take more vitamins. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death in the U.S.,¹⁵ and causes many net excess deaths even assuming a cardio-protective effect among those with low average consumption.¹⁶ In addition, there are risks associated with even low levels of consumption (e.g., breast cancer),¹⁷ and others who begin to drink or who increase their consumption may encounter alcohol-related problems or end up drinking excessively. Therefore, in the absence of data from randomized trials and on the basis of practical public health considerations, the proposed change to the Dietary Guidelines is a prescription for ill health and adverse social consequences.

Sophomore tailback Dontavius Jackson was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and other motor vehicle offenses early Saturday morning. Richt says Jackson, a backup, has been suspended for a minimum of six games.

Sophomore split end Tavarres King, a returning starter, was charged with underaged possession of alcohol and has been suspended for at least one game by Richt.

Richt says he is disappointed in the players’ decision-making and that each will “pay a stiff price.”

Each player has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Associated Press   Updated: July 5, 2010, 4:57 PM ET

ATHENS, Ga. — Damon Evans offered another apology on the day his resignation as Georgia’s athletic director was announced by the school’s president.

The announcement by Michael Adams came after a conference call with the executive committee of the athletic association’s board of directors Monday. Adams said Evans resigned Sunday, less than a week after Evans was arrested on a DUI charge.

Evans released a statement Monday in which he offered “my sincerest apology” to Adams, Georgia officials, coaches, fans and student-athletes.

Evans was 34 when he was chosen athletic director in 2004.

“It had been my hope since taking the job in 2004 that I would have a long career at UGA,” Evans said. “But because of a serious mistake in judgment, that won’t be the case and I understand that I have a long road to rebuilding my reputation and career.”

Adams read a statement and said he will have no other comment until Tuesday.

Evans was arrested late Wednesday in Atlanta. He was charged with DUI and failure to maintain a lane. Also arrested with him was Courtney Fuhrmann, who was charged with disorderly conduct.

Evans said Thursday Fuhrmann is “just a friend.” According to the incident report, the arresting officer said Fuhrmann told him she had been seeing Evans for “only a week or so.”

Evans and his wife, Kerri, have two children. He apologized to his wife Thursday as she attended his news conference.

Evans became the Southeastern Conference’s first black athletic director in 2004.There was no immediate word on a replacement.

Adams said Evans, whose raise to a $550,000 annual salary took effect at about the same time as his arrest, will be paid three months salary as severance. Evans also will receive $100,000 he has earned as a longevity bonus.

“We acknowledge the many positive accomplishments of his tenure, including an increased focus on the academic success of student-athletes, the overall financial strength of the athletic department and the hiring of many very good people as head coaches and senior leaders in the athletic department,” Adams said, reading from a statement.

Despite those accomplishments, Evans’ arrest caused damage to his reputation that led to the resignation.

“As I said on Thursday morning, when I first learned of the situation, this is not an example of the kind of leadership that I expect our senior administrators to set,” Adams said. “I have high regard for Damon personally; I care deeply about him and his family.”

Adams chose Evans as AD after the president refused to extend Vince Dooley’s contract.

Possible candidates to replace Evans from the Georgia staff include associate ADs Frank Crumley, Arthur Johnson and Claude Felton and senior associate AD Carla Williams.

At his news conference Thursday, Evans said he “failed miserably” as a leader and representative of Georgia.

At that time, Evans said he hoped to save his job. Details from the Georgia State Patrol’s incident report from the arrest added even more embarrassment.

According to the report, Evans attempted to influence the arresting officer, identified in the report as M. Cabe, by telling the officer he was Georgia’s athletic director.

According to the report, Evans said: “I am not trying to bribe you, but is there anything you can do without arresting me?”

Cabe said that Evans asked to be taken to a motel instead of jail or to be let off with a warning.

The officer noted that Evans was found with a “red pair of lady’s panties between his legs.”

Evans was the public face of the school’s athletic department in many venues, including at home football games at Sanford Stadium. Before each game, his taped video message was played as he urged fans not to drink and drive.

“If you drink and drive, you lose,” Evans said in the video message.

 June 24, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ — Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, despite overall traffic fatalities plummeting to their lowest levels since the birth of the Interstate Highway System. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the death rate reached the lowest level ever recorded in 2009.

Despite the dramatic decrease, nine teens died every day last year from motor vehicle accidents, and 350,000 were treated in emergency rooms. Though there are only 13 million teen drivers, they accounted for nearly $25 billion in motor vehicle injury costs last year alone. One in three teen drivers killed had been drinking alcohol prior to their motor vehicle accident; 40 percent of all fatal alcohol-related traffic accidents involved teens who were driving under the influence.

Alcohol continues to plague American teen culture. Though drinking rates among teens have steadily dropped since the early 1980s, about two-fifths of students today have consumed alcohol by the 8th grade — three-quarters by the time they leave high school. Drunk driving fatalities among teen drivers have decreased more than 70 percent since the drinking age was changed from 18 to 21. However, the costs of underage drinking are skyrocketing.

In 2007, underage drinking cost New Jersey $1.6 billion, or roughly $2,000 per teen. More than 16,000 violent crimes such as homicide, rape and assault, and more than 35,000 property crimes, were committed by teenagers under the influence of alcohol in New Jersey last year alone. Nearly 20 percent of all the alcohol sold was consumed by underage drinkers.

With 63 percent of all teenagers caught driving under the influence admitting to acquiring alcohol from their home or that of a friend, parents have additional reason for concern. The emotional aftermath of dealing with a child involved in a teen drunk driving accident or arrest is incredibly difficult. Financial obligations and legal liability only add to the trauma. If your child has been arrested for driving under the influence, or you are the victim of an accident caused by a teenage drunk driver, an attorney with experience in accident litigation can explain your legal options.

New K2 drug becoming concern in athletics

Company has heard from NCAA schools concerned on issue.