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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:23:04 GMT -5
Autopsy unable to pinpoint cause of death
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Associated Press
Posted: 12 hours ago
DENVER (AP) - As he walked off the field on a relatively cool Colorado evening, Thomas Herrion was huffing and puffing. Still, he didn't look much different from his 49ers teammates who played alongside him during the fast-moving final seconds.
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49ers deal with tragedy
Hear from 49ers head coach Mike Nolan on the tragic passing of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion. Minutes after Saturday night's preseason loss to the Broncos, the 23-year-old collapsed in the team's locker room.
A few minutes later, the San Francisco offensive lineman collapsed near his locker. He was rushed to the hospital, pronounced dead at age 23.
The coroner's office in Denver performed an autopsy Sunday, but said no cause of death could be determined until toxicology tests were performed. The tests usually take about three to six weeks.
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O'CONNOR: A total tragedy
Herrion collapses, dies after game
Niners mourn loss of Herrion
Family, friends remember Herrion
"Our thoughts are with the Herrion family and the 49ers," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We will be in contact with the 49ers to learn the details of what happened."
The 49ers returned to San Francisco on Sunday still in shock, and coach Mike Nolan was deciding what to do next, with the start of the regular season three weeks away.
"We lost a teammate and a very good friend as well," Nolan said.
The death came a little more than four years after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke following a practice in steamy 90-degree weather.
It was in the mid-60s with 50 percent humidity in Denver on Saturday night, and while heatstroke is still possible under such mild conditions, the notion that Herrion, or any football player, is in good enough shape to handle game conditions simply because he's a professional athlete is being questioned all over again.
The first-year guard, a long shot to make the final roster, was listed at 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, about average for an NFL lineman. But when measured on the body-mass index scale, which is a commonly accepted standard of fitness in the medical community, Herrion would be considered "severely obese."
And though obesity can't necessarily be blamed for the death - at least not at this point - one expert says it surely could have been a contributor.
"Obesity is associated with sudden death," said Dr. Joyce Harp, a University of North Carolina endocrinologist who recently did a study calculating the BMIs of all NFL players and found that almost all players qualified as overweight or obese.
"Yes, it could be totally unrelated to his weight, but the fact remains that he was 6-3 and he weighed 310 pounds and probably should have been 210 pounds," Harp said.
Niners offensive lineman Thomas Herrion collapsed and died shortly after playing in San Francisco's preseason game Saturday night against Denver. (Rocky Mountain News, Joe Mahoney / Associated Press)
Harp's study has its critics, including those in the NFL who say it doesn't take into account the fact that BMI doesn't consider the ratio of muscle to fat. Indeed, many musclebound football players who aren't fat would be deemed in the obese range on the BMI scale.
Before starting training camp last month, Herrion passed the broad range of physicals the NFL demands from all its players.
One of his former coaches at Kilgore College in Texas, Travis Fox, said he roomed with Herrion this summer after Herrion moved back to get in shape for 49ers training camp.
Fox said Herrion never struggled during intense drills in 97-degree heat and also said the lineman had no injuries or health problems while playing at Kilgore.
"The young man was in shape," Fox said.
Herrion played his college ball at Utah, and so was accustomed to playing in high altitude such as Denver's, which can intensify dehydration.
He was running down the field with the third- and fourth-team players during a frantic, 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with 2 seconds left in San Francisco's 26-21 loss. While taxing, it certainly wasn't anything out of the ordinary for a professional football player.
"We didn't see anything happen," 49ers defensive lineman Marques Douglas said after the game. "I sat by my locker and prayed for him."
Stringer's death prompted the NFL to increase efforts to teach players about managing the heat and dehydration. Many teams moved practices out of the hottest hours of the day and began better monitoring of how much liquid players were drinking.
Others have started using devices to measure players' core body temperatures - a good preventive measure, but almost certainly not something that could have saved Herrion on Saturday.
As always, medical staffers were on hand. Paramedics were performing CPR on Herrion within moments of his collapse.
Herrion adds to a very short list of NFL deaths that also includes St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain, who died of a heart attack during training camp in 1979, and Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes, who died of a heart attack during a game in 1971.
Herrion was a first-year player with the 49ers, and spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.
Fox said Herrion always talked about his niece, and family was a big motivation for playing.
"When he got here," Fox recalled, "the first thing he told me was, 'I'm going to make this team and buy my mom a nice house."'
A former Cowboys teammate, lineman Stephen Peterman, remembered Herrion as "a really fun, nice guy."
"It's sad to see that happen," Peterman said. "All you can do is pray for his family and for his soul."
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:28:06 GMT -5
Herrion tragedy hurts on many different levels
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Ian O'Connor / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 13 hours ago
Big boys don't die. They strap on pads, throw themselves into raging piles of humanity for a few Sunday hours, and emerge from the smoky wreckage to block and blitz another day.
Also...
No answers from autopsy
Herrion collapses, dies after game
Niners mourn loss of Herrion
Family, friends remember Herrion
Football players are the toughest of the tough, the baddest of the bad. For our viewing pleasure, they deal in the currency of punishment and pain. It's their business to be durable, to weather whatever not-so-controlled violence is sent their way.
Their terms of engagement are as simple as they are cruel: wages are based on availability. In a world without guaranteed contracts, if you don't suit up — sooner or later — you don't get paid.
So football players can endure almost anything; they're taught as kids there's no other option. When one of them drops dead, just like that, the culture is rocked to its core. Players are supposed to bleed on fourth-and-one. Players are supposed to puke during training camp.
Thomas Herrion, shown here with the Cowboys last season, was just trying to catch on with a team and make a living before he died Saturday night. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ralph Lauer / Associated Press)
Players are not supposed to die in a preseason locker room.
Thomas Herrion was 23 years old when he collapsed in Denver on Saturday night after his San Francisco 49ers had lost an exhibition game to the Broncos. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound guard had just finished guarding his quarterback on a 14-play, 91-yard touchdown drive that was a meaningless exercise in every way but one:
Coaches live for drives like that, even on the losing end of a summer night that doesn't count in the standings. Never quit. Never stop hitting the opponent. Never stop driving toward the goal line. These are the three articles of sideline faith, a belief system for coaches who hold up four fingers in August so their players will remember to go hard for four quarters in December and beyond.
Someone was going to praise Thomas Herrion for fighting the good fight. Someone was going to approach him in that locker room, slap him on the shoulder pads, and thank him for running out that routine 4-3 ground ball to second.
But that someone never got his chance. Herrion went down and didn't get back up. The team doctors worked on him, then the paramedics. He was sent to the hospital, and before anyone could fathom the depth of the crisis, he was sent to the morgue.
"There's no conclusion, pending further studies," said the investigator from the coroner's office where the autopsy was performed.
Was it the cool but mile-high altitude that triggered some fatal defect within? Was simple exhaustion the culprit? Was this another example of an overweight man pushing his heart and lungs to the point of no return?
Four years after the Vikings' Korey Stringer died on a training camp day that saw the heat index rise to 110, Herrion's death was clouded in a 65-degree mystery. The coroner's office said toxicology tests might take three to six weeks before they yield a reliable conclusion. All we know for sure is this:
Grown men cried and prayed and held hands in that locker room Saturday night, grown men accustomed to seeing bodies healed by a whirlpool, an ice tub, or a surgeon's blade. Herrion was so d**n young. He played junior college football in the heat of Texas, and he played college ball at Utah on some high altitude fields. None of this made sense. Not even the weight. Three hundred and ten pounds in today's NFL is a kicker on a diet.
"A colossal tragedy," the 49ers called it.
Niners head coach Mike Nolan said Thomas Herrion appeared to be in good spirits moments before he passed away. ( / Associated Press)
Mike Nolan, the 49ers coach, said Sunday that Herrion showed no signs of distress as he left the field. "Right now, it's a day of mourning for the 49er family," Nolan said. "We lost a teammate and a very good friend as well."
Your average sports fan had never heard of Thomas Herrion until the notice of his passing. That's life and death for a young offensive lineman out of the NFL's European league, just trying to make a team. Quarterbacks, running backs and receivers are the leading men; guards and tackles belong to the faceless scrum buzzing about those stars.
But that doesn't make the loss of Herrion any less profound. He was a son, a brother, and a teammate to men who watched him collapse and learned three hours later that he wouldn't see his 24th birthday.
Those teammates will be haunted by the memory. Professional football players are supposed to shake it off, rub some dirt on it, and return to the huddle for another isolation play up the gut.
Their worst-case scenario is supposed to be the injury list, not the morgue
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:30:42 GMT -5
49ers G Herrion dies after preseason game
August 21, 2005
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) -- San Francisco 49ers offensive guard Thomas Herrion, who died early Sunday, collapsed during a postgame team prayer, coach Mike Nolan said.
Herrion, 23, died hours after Saturday night's exhibition game at Denver and is believed to be just the second NFL player to die during the course of a game. The cause of death was not immediately known.
"The coroner's office has contacted me, but the results are still pending," Nolan said Sunday at the team's practice facility. "I don't have any medical answers at this time."
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According to Nolan, he spoke briefly to his team in the locker room before everyone knelt and began to recite the Lord's prayer. As the team finished the prayer, someone in the rear of the room said the 330-pound Herrion "was down."
"The medical staff immediately came to Thomas, who at that time was lying on the ground," Nolan said. "Everyone, coaches and players alike, were told to all get back, which we did."
Herrion was given CPR and taken to St. Anthony's Central Hospital in Denver, where he died three hours later. Nolan got the bad news as the team left Invesco Field at Mile High and delivered it while the team awaited its flight back to the Bay area.
"After we had gone through customs and all those checks, we all gathered in the hangar," he said. "That is where I talked to the team. I let them know that Thomas had passed away."
A third-stringer on the depth chart, Herrion was on the field for San Francisco's 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with Cody Pickett's 23-yard touchdown with two seconds to play. Nolan said the lineman came off the field and spoke with player development director Guy McIntyre, a former 49ers lineman.
"He was very pleased that he was on the field for the touchdown," said Nolan, who spoke with Herrion's family after the game and again Sunday.
According to Nolan, Herrion interacted with members of the Broncos and fans in the stands. In the locker room, he joked with the team nutritionist.
Nolan said Herrion's weight was not an issue and he had not missed any practices due to any medical issue or condition.
The only other player who died during an NFL game was Detroit wide receiver Chuck Hughes, who had a heart attack during a 1971 contest. A handful of players, including St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain and Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer, died during practice.
A statement from the 49ers called Herrion's death "a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL community."
Herrion played collegiately at Utah, where he blocked for 49ers rookie quarterback Alex Smith, and spent parts of last season on the practice squads of the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. He also played in NFL Europe this year with the Hamburg Sea Devils.
Among the tributes Herrion received was one from former Utah coach Urban Meyer, now at Florida.
"He was an outstanding, quality young man that helped lead the 2003 University of Utah football team to its first outright Mountain West Conference Championship and to victory in the Liberty Bowl," Meyer said. "Elected as a captain by his teammates, he was loved, respected and admired by all of us."
In remembering Herrion, Nolan also spoke of his connection to Smith.
"The team all asked Alex Smith to sing his fight song from Utah," Nolan said. "As soon as he stood up to begin his song, Thomas jumped up right away and started going with him. Everybody began to hoot and holler.
"At that time, he came out of his shell. It was warming to see him like that. When you see a player like that, you go, 'Oh, that's who that player is.'"
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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:31:06 GMT -5
Former coaches, family remember Fort Worth's Herrion
By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer
August 21, 2005
DALLAS (AP) -- When Travis Fox arrived at Kilgore College, his predecessor left him one bit of advice.
``He said connect with Thomas Herrion and you'll connect with the offensive line,'' said Fox, offensive coordinator at the junior college in East Texas.
Fox said that was because Herrion was so liked and respected by his teammates at Kilgore, where the outgoing offensive lineman routinely got laughs for his improvised singing and quick wit.
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On Sunday, Kilgore coaches and many others in Texas were mourning the loss of Herrion, the San Francisco 49ers' lineman from Fort Worth who died Saturday night after a preseason game in Denver.
Herrion collapsed in the locker room shortly after the 49ers finished their postgame meeting following a 26-21 loss to the Broncos. An autopsy performed in Denver couldn't immediately determine the cause of his death of the 23-year-old, who graduated from Fort Worth Polytechnic High School and briefly played with the Dallas Cowboys in 2004.
Herrion's mother, Janice, spent Sunday looking at pictures of her son and remembering how much he accomplished.
``Twenty-three years was all he was allowed,'' Janice Herrion told Dallas television station WFAA. ``And in those 23 years he left his mark, you know? He left his mark.''
Fox said he shared his two-bedroom apartment with Herrion for two weeks this summer in Kilgore, where Herrion returned to get in shape before he reported to the 49ers. Fox said Herrion was motivated to make the team so he could buy a new house for his mother.
Fox said they completed intense conditioning drills in 97-degree temperatures and Herrion never struggled to keep pace. He said Herrion never had any injuries or health problems when he played at Kilgore.
``He was healthy,'' Fox said. ``That's why I'm in shock. The young man was in shape.''
After playing two years at Utah when he left Kilgore, Herrion was signed by Dallas in May 2004 and was with the club through training camp. He was released in the final cuts before the opener, then spent two weeks on the practice squad.
``That's a sad thing,'' Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. ``He kind of came in as one of those underdog kind of kids and hung in there. He had an ankle hurt there and kind of fought through it.''
Offensive lineman Stephen Peterman, who joined the Cowboys the same time as Herrion, recalled their position coach being disappointed when Herrion was let go.
``He was a real strong player, just probably needed a little more time to develop,'' Peterman said. ``He definitely was going to be a good player one day.''
Herrion had many friends in the Dallas locker room. He especially kept up with receiver Patrick Crayton because they have the same agent.
``I'm real shocked,'' Crayton said. ``It's just one of those ... I don't know how you can explain it.''
Peterman remembered him as ``a really fun, nice guy.''
``It's sad to see that happen. All you can do is pray for his family and for his soul.''
Frederick Lyles, Herrion's Dallas-based agent, said he spoke with his client a few hours before his last game.
``There are very few guys in this business that you could say consistently behaved and displayed themselves like a gentleman,'' Lyles said. ``In street clothes, he was a gentle giant, a very compassionate person. It's just a shame.''
Associated Press Writer Jaime Aron contributed to this repor
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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:31:37 GMT -5
Herrion remembered as good teammate, eager prospect
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
August 21, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- Thomas Herrion's locker stands next to the door leading to the San Francisco 49ers' practice fields. Every player walked past him every day, and the beefy lineman usually had something to say -- a quip, a joke or just a quick hello.
Herrion's death Saturday night after a preseason game in Denver shocked the 49ers, even though few were close to the undrafted second-year pro. With his outgoing personality and quick wit, the 23-year-old guard made fast friends, even while in stiff competition for a job.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Herrion was optimistic about his chances of making the roster, or at least returning to the club's practice squad for more seasoning.
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``I'm just trying to do whatever I can do to make the team,'' Herrion said while wiping sweat from his enormous upper torso. ``After the way it went last year, everybody on this team is hoping for a fresh start. I just want to find a spot, something I can do to help out. When (starting center Jeremy) Newberry got hurt, I wanted to tell them I'd snap it.''
Herrion collapsed in the locker room shortly after the 49ers finished their postgame meeting following a 26-21 loss to the Broncos.
``It's a day of mourning for the 49er family,'' coach Mike Nolan said Sunday. ``We lost a teammate and a very good friend as well.''
Herrion played only in the final minutes of the game, getting about 20 plays of action. He was whistled for a penalty during the 49ers' 14-play, 91-yard drive in the final minutes.
He spoke with Guy McIntyre, the 49ers' director of player development, about how he had played. Later, he shook hands with Denver players, interacted with fans and even joked with the 49ers' nutritionist, according to Nolan.
At the airport, the 49ers gathered in a hangar where they were informed of his death shortly before the team plane left for home. The player had the day off Sunday, but practice is expected to resume Monday. A team memorial service will be held Tuesday.
``I do think that being on the field is therapeutic to coaches and players alike, but not right now,'' said Nolan, who hasn't decided how to alter the 49ers' preparations for Friday's home preseason game against Tennessee.
An autopsy performed in Denver couldn't immediately determine the cause of his death, which stunned players across the league.
``I think everybody that came into contact with him feels the impact of what just happened,'' said Sione Pouha, Herrion's college teammate at Utah who's now a rookie defensive tackle with the New York Jets. ``It really makes you come down to earth and realize what you really have. It was a shocker. You can't sleep after that.
``He was a go-get-it kind of guy who was the big comedian of the team, the guy to make everybody laugh. If times got rough, he was right there with you.''
Herrion's death is a sobering tragedy in what's already been a miserable year for a franchise that won five Super Bowls from 1981-94.
Last season, San Francisco finished with the league's worst record at 2-14, leading to the firings of coach Dennis Erickson and general manager Terry Donahue. With ticket sales and fan interest likely at their lowest points in a generation, the team was further embarrassed when an in-house training video featuring racial slurs and other offensive behavior was leaked to the media.
Though Herrion probably was a long shot to make the 53-man roster, the Fort Worth, Texas, native was enjoying the chase. Known as ``Big Tex'' or ``Train,'' Herrion -- listed at 310 pounds, but looking larger still -- wore his hair in long braids and cut a distinct figure in the locker room.
Herrion frequently chatted with Alex Smith, the No. 1 draft pick who also attended Utah. They told stories of their adventures in Salt Lake City, with Herrion shaking his head in amazement at the school's undefeated season under coach Urban Meyer after Herrion left.
When Smith was asked to sing Utah's fight song in a meeting last week, Herrion eagerly jumped up and joined the rookie quarterback in a rousing rendition of ``I Am a Utah Man, Sir.''
``It's still totally shocking to me,'' said agent Frederick Lyles, who spoke with his client a few hours before his last game. ``He was upbeat, happy, ready to get it on. It just hurts you. You don't see a lot of people like that. He was willing to put in the hard work to achieve his goals.''
Herrion attended Kilgore Junior College in East Texas before signing with Utah, where he enjoyed two strong seasons despite playing for two coaches. After Ron McBride was fired, Herrion stuck around for a senior season with Meyer, who led the Utes to the Mountain West Conference championship and the Liberty Bowl.
``I know he has his mom (Janice) and his family that are very devastated,'' Pouha said. ``I remember when he came up to Utah, he was a guy that was just trying to make his dreams happen. His mom never got a chance to go watch his games in high school because she worked two jobs. He was happy when she came to watch the games at Utah.''
Herrion went undrafted, but signed with the Dallas Cowboys in May 2004 and stayed with the team through training camp. He was released in the final cuts before the opener, then spent two weeks on the practice squad.
In December, Herrion signed with the 49ers, who allocated him to NFL Europe. He spent the season in Hamburg, Germany, then returned to East Texas to get in shape for the upcoming season.
``That's a sad thing,'' Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. ``He kind of came in as one of those underdog kind of kids and hung in there. He had an ankle hurt there and kind of fought through it.''
Offensive lineman Stephen Peterman, who joined the Cowboys the same time as Herrion, recalled their position coach being disappointed when Herrion was let go.
``He was a real strong player, just probably needed a little more time to develop,'' Peterman said. ``He definitely was going to be a good player one day.''
Associated Press writers Jaime Aron in Dallas and Andrea Adelson in New York contributed to this report.
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:33:10 GMT -5
49ers offensive lineman Herrion dies at 23ESPN.com news services
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DENVER -- The cause of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion's death cannot be determined until toxicology tests are performed, a process that usually takes three to six weeks, a coroner said Sunday.
The 23-year-old offensive guard for the San Francisco 49ers collapsed in the locker room Saturday night, minutes after the team's preseason game against the Broncos on a 65-degree evening in mile-high Denver. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead shortly after.
49ers, family remember Herrion
Members of the 49ers and Thomas Herrion's mother, Janice, remember the fallen offensive lineman.
• 49ers, family react
"It's a day of mourning for the 49er family," coach Mike Nolan said Sunday. "We lost a teammate and a very good friend as well."
Herrion played only in the final minutes of the game, getting about 20 plays of action. He was whistled for a penalty during the 49ers' 14-play, 91-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes.
He spoke with Guy McIntyre, the 49ers' director of player development, about how he had played. Later, he shook hands with Denver players, interacted with fans and even joked with the 49ers' nutritionist, according to Nolan.
At the airport, the 49ers gathered in a hangar where they were informed of his death shortly before the team plane left for home. The player had the day off Sunday, but practice is expected to resume Monday. A team memorial service will be held Tuesday.
"I do think that being on the field is therapeutic to coaches and players alike, but not right now," said Nolan, who hasn't decided how to alter the 49ers' preparations for Friday's home preseason game against Tennessee.
"We didn't see anything happen," 49ers defensive lineman Marques Douglas said. "I sat by my locker and prayed for him."
Niners linebacker Julian Peterson told the San Jose Mercury News that players were holding hands in postgame prayer when Herrion "just toppled over."
Nolan told the newspaper the team's medical staff "immediately went to him" when Herrion collapsed.
"We were all told to stay back so the medical staff could do their work," he said.
Howard Daniel, an investigator with the Denver coroner's office that performed an autopsy on Herrion, said nothing was readily apparent about why he died.
"There's no conclusion, pending further studies," Daniel said.
The death once again spotlights how dehydration and obesity affect athletes, especially the huge linemen who play in the NFL.
Herrion was 6-foot-3, 310 pounds -- fairly average for an NFL lineman, but considered obese within standards routinely accepted by the medical community.
"Our thoughts are with the Herrion family and the 49ers," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday. "We have been in contact with the 49ers throughout the day to offer our assistance and to learn the details of what happened."
After the game, Herrion was noticeably winded as he walked off the field, but didn't look much different than teammates who played beside him at game's end.
AP Photo
Herrion was in his first year with the 49ers, after having played in NFL Europe with the Hamburg Sea Dogs.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that television footage showed Herrion walking off the field after the 49ers' touchdown drive, with nothing apparently wrong. According to the paper, Herrion's face gave no sign of distress in the footage.
"Last night before we boarded the plane, the coaches grabbed our team together and gave us the news," Douglas told ESPN Radio on Sunday morning. "At that time, we just kneeled and prayed. We had a moment of silence for him. We knew that, the team knew that it was in God's hands."
The death comes a little more than four years after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke during a training camp practice when the heat index soared to 110.
NFL teams since have increased efforts to teach players about how to manage the heat. On Saturday night, temperatures in Denver's thin air were in the mid-60s with 50 percent humidity, although experts say heatstroke can happen even in cool weather.
It is not known whether Denver's mile-high altitude could have contributed to the death. As a college player at Utah, Herrion played games at high elevation and would have been more used to those conditions than many.
Jim Rieves, Herrion's coach at Kilgore Junior College in Texas, told The New York Times that he couldn't imagine Herrion being bothered by the altitude. Herrion played at altitude in Utah, Rieves told the newspaper, and he spent part of this year in Texas, working out in temperatures around 100 degrees.
"That's what blows my mind," Rieves told the Times. "He's here in East Texas, working out in the mid 90's. The temperature is well over 100. He didn't have any problems. No heat-related problems or dehydration.
"He was not a drinker or a drug user. I just don't know what could have happened."
Ron McBride, the current coach at Weber State, who was one of Herrion's coaches at Utah, told the Times that Herrion's mother, Janice, suffered from a heart problem.
"The biggest thing about pro football with him is that he wanted to earn a living so he could help his mom," McBride told the Times. "She worked two jobs and had a heart problem. His junior year, she'd been in and out of the hospital with high blood pressure and hypertension. I don't know all the details, but we had a lot of communication with her to check on her."
In 1979, St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain died of a heart attack during training camp. Chuck Hughes, a Detroit Lions wide receiver, died of a heart attack during a 1971 game in Detroit against the Chicago Bears. In April, Arena Football League player Al Lucas of the Los Angeles Avengers died of a spinal-cord injury after making a tackle.
"We have done everything medically we could do," NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw said Sunday. "We have doctors trained in emergency medicine, in heart problems and other specialties standing by at every game. It's not just internists. It's people who know what to do in every emergency. It just wasn't enough.
"This is the second time this year we've lost a player, and that's two too many," Upshaw said, referring to Lucas' death in the Arena Football League.
Herrion, a first-year player with the 49ers, spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.
Though Herrion probably was a long shot to make the 53-man roster, the Fort Worth, Texas, native was enjoying the chase. Known as "Big Tex" or "Train," Herrion -- listed at 310 pounds, but looking larger still -- wore his hair in long braids and cut a distinct figure in the locker room.
Herrion frequently chatted with Alex Smith, the No. 1 draft pick who also attended Utah. They told stories of their adventures in Salt Lake City, with Herrion shaking his head in amazement at the school's undefeated season under coach Urban Meyer after Herrion left.
When Smith was asked to sing Utah's fight song in a meeting last week, Herrion eagerly jumped up and joined the rookie quarterback in a rousing rendition of "I Am a Utah Man, Sir."
"It's still totally shocking to me," said agent Frederick Lyles, who spoke with his client a few hours before his last game. "He was upbeat, happy, ready to get it on. It just hurts you. You don't see a lot of people like that. He was willing to put in the hard work to achieve his goals."
Travis Fox, the offensive coordinator at Kilgore, said Sunday he shared an apartment with Herrion for two weeks this summer. Herrion had returned to the school to get in shape before reporting to the 49ers.
“ We didn't see anything happen. I sat by my locker and prayed for him. ”
— Marques Douglas, 49ers defensive lineman
Fox said Herrion never struggled during intense drills in 97-degree heat. He added that the lineman had no injuries or health problems while playing at Kilgore.
"The young man was in shape," he said.
Herrion's nicknames at Kilgore were "Train" and "Big T." Fox said he was called "Thunder" in Germany because his head was too big for a regular helmet.
Fox said Herrion always talked about his niece, and family was a big motivation for playing.
"When he got here," Fox recalled, "the first thing he told me was, 'I'm going to make this team and buy my mom a nice house.' "
Herrion, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, also started every game at left guard in the 2003 season for Utah and was a team captain, when current 49ers quarterback Alex Smith played his sophomore season at quarterback.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Thomas Herrion," Former Utah head coach Urban Meyer, now the head coach at Florida said. "He was an outstanding, quality young man that helped lead the 2003 University of Utah football team to its first outright Mountain West Conference Championship and to victory in the Liberty Bowl.
"Elected as a captain by his teammates, he was loved, respected and admired by all of us. We pray that God's blessing be with Thomas' family, friends and current and former teammates during this sad and difficult time."
Herrion had four siblings -- two brothers and two sisters.
Herrion's mother spent Sunday looking at pictures of her son and remembering how much he accomplished.
"Twenty-three years was all he was allowed," Janice Herrion told Dallas television station WFAA. "And in those 23 years he left his mark, you know? He left his mark."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 22, 2005 13:33:45 GMT -5
Thomas Herrion (December 15, 1981— August 21, 2005) was an American football player for the San Francisco 49ers. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Herrion, a 6-foot-3 (190 cm), 310-pound (140 kg) guard, played college football first at Kilgore College at the junior college level before transferring to the University of Utah. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract with the 49ers on January 5, 2005 and spent one season playing in NFL Europe with the Hamburg Sea Devils. Shortly after a preseason game against the Denver Broncos on August 20, 2005, Herrion collapsed in the locker room and died a few hours later. The cause of death is currently unknown  UTAH: Honor candidate has loads of potential ... will start at left tackle after starting at right tackle last year ... selected to 2003 Utah Football Leadership Committee (dependable, team player, strong academics and discipline, team spokesman). 2002:Played in 10 games and started the last three at right tackle ... showed most improvement of any offensive lineman. PRIOR TO UTAH: Honorable mention juco All-American ... first-team all-conference ... Most Outstanding Lineman for Kilgore JC, which finished 2001 season ranked No. 2 in nation with 12-0 record ... 126 decleaters in 2001 ... graded out at 90% for both run and pass blocking ... Kilgore was 2000 conference champ and won Red River Bowl ... played high school ball at Polytechnic HS (Texas) ... chose Utah over West Virginia, Southern Mississippi and Iowa. PERSONAL: Son of J.C. and Janice Herrion ... plays drums in his church band ... enjoys jazz, hip hop and blues ... sociology major ... born Dec. 15, 1981. |
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Post by ball4life on Aug 22, 2005 13:51:58 GMT -5
thats sad... dieing at age 23. altho he should of been 210 like that guy said
best wishes to the Herrion family
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porky88
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Post by porky88 on Aug 22, 2005 15:44:53 GMT -5
i wish his family well
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lt21
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Post by lt21 on Aug 22, 2005 17:26:14 GMT -5
thats sad how no one knows what even happened too him and he was soo young to. sigh what a world.
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 23, 2005 12:59:17 GMT -5
Herrion will live on prominently in 49ers' future
Craig Massei, SFI editor - Scout.com
August 22, 2005 at 8:43pm ET
Fame comes to some in haunting ways. Such is the case of Thomas Herrion, a young, unheralded lineman who was anonymous to most NFL observers outside of San Francisco. But everyone in the football world knows Herrion today. And in death, he'll live on and grow with the budding young team that is the 49ers. "In a philosophical sense, Thomas has kind of planted a seed under this team in his own way," coach Mike Nolan said Monday. "I mean, he has come to life more than any other way he could have."
And that irony, Nolan said, will have a lot to do with the direction the embattled franchise takes after the sudden and shocking death of the 23-year-old offensive guard, who collapsed after Saturday night's 26-21 preseason loss to Denver and died of unknown causes about an hour later at a Denver hospital.
Nolan and the 49ers began taking their first steps forward from the devastating loss of a popular teammate with a 53-minute practice in shorts and helmets Monday afternoon. Afterward, Nolan talked of how Herrion will impact the team posthumously perhaps even more than if he'd lived.
"And how we take that," Nolan said, "is going to have a lot to do with were we go. I mean, are we sprouting a weed, or are we sprouting a vibrant tree? And that's what he's done."
Herrion, who spent the final 12 weeks of the 2004 season on the 49ers' practice squad, was a long shot to make the team this year. He was running as a third-team guard and, if he did make the team entering the regular season, it would have been in a reserve role that would have become more prominent only if players in front of him were injured.
But now Herrion, in spirit, could have a larger, more encompassing purpose with this team than he ever could have had on the field.
"I don't know that Thomas would have made the team or not prior," Nolan said. "But with what (has transpired), he's got probably as strong an impact on our football team right now as anyone on this team. And I'm looking for it to be a very positive one. And I think our players will see that, too."
In their own various ways, some of those players already were seeing it that way.
While some players weren't quite ready yet Monday to speak about the tragedy - most notably, rookie quarterback Alex Smith , who played with Herrion during Smith's sophomore season at the University of Utah in 2003 - others already were finding inspiration to push forward in their memories of Herrion.
Left guard Justin Smiley , in fact, specifically asked the 49ers' media personnel if he could come out of a locker room that was closed to the media Monday to talk about Herrion.
"I can't just say enough about that guy," said Smiley, who held the starting position ahead of Herrion on San Francisco's depth chart. "He's an amazing person, man, and he'll be sorely missed. I asked if I could come out here to talk to you (media) because it's my worst fear that I would die in vain, that somebody wouldn't remember me for what I've done, what I've accomplished, and I don't want that to happen to Thomas.
"Thomas is an unbelievable person. You'd expect me to say that, but I'm just not saying it. I've never seen a bad look on the guy's face. He would hold bags when he was giving me a look (during lineman drills), and he'd have a smile on his face. Man, I mean, that's the thing that kills me. We lost a great person."
And, Smiley said, a player that would have made a name for himself had he lived, something several other teammates reiterated.
"I think Thomas, if he wouldn't have passed on, he would have gotten the recognition that he deserved in a different way," Smiley said. "I think Thomas was born to play the sport. He was a strong, powerful guy. He was way stronger and way more powerful than anybody we've got on our offensive line. You just don't find that. I mean, he was almost like kind of superhuman when it comes to that."
Left tackle Jonas Jennings and two-time Pro Bowl center Jeremy Newberry - the veteran leaders of San Francisco's rebuilt line - also talked of Herrion and the promise he displayed for a young team that similarly is full of promise.
"He reminds me of myself in college - just raw talent," Jennings said. "Very eager to learn, and a very strong guy that could go out and maul guys. We were just trying to teach him the perks of having technique and stuff along with the gift that he had. He was really coming into it. He had one of the best drives of his life in action before his life was taken."
Said a teary-eyed Newberry: "He was so hard-working. It was kind of dear to me. He sought me out and I used to come out before practice and work with him. He wanted to take coaching from anybody that would help him. I never heard him complain about anything. He always wanted to get better. Great person. Great personality. Great guy. We lost a special person."
Herrion didn't bring inspiration to the 49ers just in death. He also did it the moment he arrived in San Francisco last October after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys . He had spent two weeks on Dallas' practice squad in September.
Smiley recalled the first time he saw his new teammate last year. It was in team chapel before a 49ers game in October.
"Nobody really knew who he was," Smiley said. "He came in, sat down, and the first thing he did, he told the team, 'You know, I'm very blessed to be here.' He said, 'I almost feel like it's a relief, like I didn't fit in at Dallas. I think God sent me here for a reason, to be with you guys.' That was the first thing that I ever heard Thomas say, and that's the thing that keeps flashing in my mind."
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 23, 2005 12:59:41 GMT -5
The most painful loss
By Cris Carter, Yahoo! Sports
August 22, 2005
In 2001, Cris Carter and the Minnesota Vikings had to cope with the passing of offensive tackle Korey Stringer, who died from heat stroke during a training camp practice. Yahoo! Sports' NFL analyst shares how he and the Vikings moved forward – something the San Francisco 49ers are trying to do after the unexpected death of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion.
It's really impossible to move on immediately after a teammate passes away. The 49ers' organization should expect guys to have different reactions because everyone deals with death differently. But it's impossible to move on right away.
You never expect anything like that to happen because guys are in such great shape. You really go through a lot of shock. You try to retrace the time when you last saw him and you wonder if there was anything you could have done for him. You're also a little frightened because you think that, if it can happen to him, it can definitely happen to you.
Football is often mentioned as "life or death." But football is not life or death. It's a game. And the passing of a teammate reinforces that point.
It also puts a premium on not only enjoying the game, but also enjoying your teammates. You're in a rare situation of playing a professional sport and you're only there a short period of time. So take advantage of it and have fun.
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There has been talk of obesity being a health hazard in the NFL. The only thing that prevents me from agreeing is that, in college, smaller guys have died. So I can't draw that conclusion.
The game is very tough on the body, though. And I do think football players in general are overweight. However, you have to realize that is part of the job. You need that extra weight to have the strength to do your job well.
The Vikings brought in counselors for us after Korey passed away, and the 49ers will definitely need counselors to deal with the tragedy. But the one thing I realized was that, with the lack of answers over Korey's death, it seemed like I stayed mad the entire season.
A number of guys on the Vikings, including me, went to Ohio State, so we all knew Korey when he was in high school and college. He was a starter and a premier player, and he was our teammate for six seasons. The grieving process took a long time.
How much did Korey's death affect us? Well, all I'm going to say is that some linemen and other players left for other teams in the offseason, but we still had Randy Moss, myself and Daunte Culpepper. Plus we were coming off a trip to the NFC championship game. We ended up going 5-11.
That's why I don't think you ever move on quickly.
Cris Carter is Yahoo! Sports' NFL analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 23, 2005 13:00:04 GMT -5
Niners return to practice after Herrion's death
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
August 23, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- Thomas Herrion often sought Jeremy Newberry's help. The 23-year-old offensive lineman and his veteran teammate worked on their technique together before practice, with Herrion seeking any edge that might help him make it in the NFL.
The San Francisco 49ers went back to work Monday without Herrion, who collapsed and died Saturday night after a preseason game in Denver.
But Newberry imagines the Niners will remember their fallen teammate -- his work ethic, his humor and his spirit -- for the rest of their lives.
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``He was kind of dear to me,'' said Newberry, a two-time Pro Bowl player. ``The guy was a hard worker. I never heard him complain about anything, man. He always wanted to do better. We lost a special person. It's a sad day for everybody around here.''
After several hours of meetings and mourning, the team held a light afternoon practice. In the subdued atmosphere at their training complex, Herrion still was central in the 49ers' minds four days before their next preseason game.
``It was a waste for me,'' left tackle Jonas Jennings said of the hour-long workout. ``Mentally, I wasn't there. But you've got to be a professional. You've got to do what's expected of you.''
Authorities might not know the cause of Herrion's death for weeks, but no answer will seem logical to his teammates. His fellow offensive linemen got another sobering reminder of their profession's risks and the physical extremes required to play it well, though no link has been established between Herrion's weight -- well over 300 pounds -- and his death.
``It's something you don't like to think about every day,'' Newberry said. ``I think the life expectancy for an offensive linemen isn't real great. Me having young children, that's a somber point, but it's part of your job. ... (A player could) try to play at 200 pounds, but that isn't going to happen.''
There were flower arrangements in the complex's lobby, and grief counselors were available. The 49ers, who had a regular day off Sunday, canceled their Monday morning practice and closed their locker room to reporters.
A rap track, recorded by rookie Fred Amey and dedicated to Herrion, was played for the team during the morning meeting. Team physician Barry Bryant briefed the players on what they saw in the locker room in Denver, where Herrion collapsed shortly after the team recited the Lord's Prayer. Later, the team chaplain and a crisis expert also addressed the players, who still were clearly shaken by Herrion's death.
``I knew it wasn't good when it happened,'' said guard Justin Smiley, who was kneeling next to Herrion. ``It's definitely scary. Every now and then, something brings you back to reality.''
Herrion played only in the final minutes of the 26-21 loss to Denver. He was on the field for San Francisco's 14-play, 91-yard drive shortly before the final whistle.
``He reminded me of myself in college -- just a raw talent, eager to learn,'' Jennings said. ``He was really coming into his own. He just had one of the best drives of his life, right before his life was taken.''
Quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 draft pick who played with Herrion at Utah in 2003, wasn't ready to speak to reporters.
``I think he's taking it pretty well, but I know it's tough,'' Smiley said of Smith.
Everyone in the organization is expected to attend a private memorial service Tuesday night in nearby Mountain View -- but the team also must move forward in the relentless NFL preseason.
The 49ers host the Tennessee Titans on Friday night in their third exhibition game. Herrion's funeral will be held Saturday in his native Fort Worth, Texas, with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, coach Mike Nolan and team owners John York and Denise DeBartolo York expected to attend.
The 49ers will wear a black decal with Herrion's No. 72 on the back of their helmets this season, and Herrion's locker near the door to the practice fields will remain unchanged.
The Denver coroner's office performed an autopsy Sunday, but a spokesman said no cause of death could be determined until coroners receive the results of toxicology and tissue tests, which usually take about three to six weeks.
Many possible factors in Herrion's death will be discussed before then, including Denver's high altitude, proper hydration and excessive weight. Herrion's weight was average for an NFL lineman, but obese by many conventional standards.
Some physicians cite a high body-mass index (BMI) -- a height-to-weight ratio that doesn't consider body muscle versus fat -- as an indicator of many potential health problems.
Others believe BMI is ``not a proper indicator of health status,'' as Dr. William Kraemer of the National Strength and Conditioning Association determined with detailed research for a soon-to-be-published study on the 2003 Indianapolis Colts.
Four years ago, Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heatstroke following a practice in steamy weather. In 2002, retired Saints defensive lineman Frank Warren died of a heart attack at 43. Reggie White's death last December might have been caused by sleep apnea -- a condition commonly afflicting obese people, including Newberry.
The San Francisco Giants held a moment of silence for Herrion before their game Monday night against Philadelphia. Tributes to Herrion also poured in from his native Texas and Utah, where Herrion played his final two college seasons.
The Utes will hold a moment of silence before the season opener against Arizona on Sept. 2, and they'll add a black No. 76 to their helmets. Coach Kyle Whittingham will attend Tuesday's memorial service, and the school will fly several former Utah teammates -- including Brandon Warfield, a running back who was Herrion's best friend throughout college -- to the funeral.
``It hurts every time you walk in the locker room and his locker is still up,'' said Arnold Parker, a 49ers defensive back who played with Herrion at Utah. ``Every time somebody from Utah calls me, it makes you think of Big T. ... He dreamed of being in the NFL, and his dream came true. It's sad that it's over for him, but it's a testimony that dreams come true.''
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 23, 2005 13:00:28 GMT -5
Meyer Remembers Herrion As "Great Kid"
Franz Beard - Scout.com
August 23, 2005 at 3:23am ET
When the Florida Gators finished their afternoon practice Monday, the second session of the day, it not only marked the end of two-a-day practices but perhaps brought a sigh of relief to a coaching and training staff that has been closely monitoring the team as it has practiced during this brutally oppressive heat wave.
Although practice had Coach Urban Meyer's full attention Monday, there had to be lingering thoughts of Thomas Herrion , the San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman who collapsed and died after Saturday night's NFL exhibition game.
Herrion played for Meyer at Utah in 2003. He died Saturday night apparently from heat related issues after a game played in 65 degree temperatures. Meyer said that the death "does not make sense" when he spoke to media after Monday's practice. Meyer said that he is eager to find out the answers to why Herrion died so young and in conditions that should not have brought on a heat related illness.
"He was a great kid … a great kid," said Meyer. "He was a big guy … when I had him he was 330 or 340 (he was listed at 310 at San Francisco). "He was always big. He was not a drinker, not a smoker … he enjoyed life. He was a great kid."
Meyer said the death of the player nicknamed "Big T" came as a shock to his daughters and his family --- "they were crushed." Herrion will always be remembered by them as the big guy who made friends easily and the singer at the team's church services. Meyer said that Herrion grew up as a singer in the church choir back in Texas so he was always singing in the team's church services.
"He was a great young man," said Meyer. "He would enter a room and you would know he's there. He was friends with everybody."
When Meyer came to Florida one of the first things he did was have assistant strength and conditioning coordinator Matt Balis research heat issues thoroughly.
"I had Matt Balis go on a full court press with how to handle it and see how other teams have successfully handled it," said Meyer. "That was started in January. It was thoroughly researched."
While the Gators have had some players overheat a bit during the practice sessions, the training staff carefully monitors both the players and the heat index to be certain that everyone is within safe limits.
"That's why you see us take breaks during these two-a-day practices," said Meyer. "We're fortunate at Florida to have so much support. I remember when I started (at Bowling Green) it was me and a couple of other guys. I remember watering players down.
"We have a lot of support here. Mickey (Marotti, strength and conditioning coordinator) and (head trainer) Anthony Pass and our doctors do a great job so they really watch it for me. They'll come up to me during practice and say the heat index is at so and so, let's get them in the tents. We have these cooling zones and tents going on all the time. It's because of where we're at."
INJURY UPDATE: Corner Dee Webb was held out of contact drills on Monday following an injury to his shoulder in Saturday morning's practice. Meyer said that the injury is a recurrence of a shoulder separation that Webb suffered playing high school football.
The injury will not keep Webb out of the season opener on September 3, but it will limit the amount of contact that he goes through until the first game.
"Dee Webb's doing good," said Meyer. "He's running, not any contact obviously. We're keeping out of drills because if he falls he can't protect himself so the word that I've been told is that as he gets stronger we'll get him more involved in the drills, but he's scheduled to play on September 3." Meyer said that Webb is "a tough kid and he's fighting through it" and that in the practices over the next two weeks, Webb will be wearing a shoulder harness that will limit the mobility.
Second unit linebacker Billy Latsko spent the last part of Monday afternoon's practice in The Pit. Latsko has an ongoing groin injury that requires some caution.
"It's a lingering injury that has really been going on so when it gets tight we pull him," said Meyer.
Meyer expects that Latsko and several other dinged up players will get back to full speed now that two-a-day practice session are officially over. The brutal heat conditions have taken their toll on the team.
"We get to one a days which is now and you'll see these guys getting their legs back," said Meyer.
Second unit tight end Markell Thompson is out six to eight weeks with a broken ankle. He was lifting weights and doing sit ups in The Pit.
First unit linebacker Todd McCullough was back to practicing Monday after missing four days with a sore knee.
"He has a meniscus issue but he's fighting through it," said Meyer. "We just gotta get him ready for September 3 and keep him sharp. He went a little bit today."
Safety/corner Reggie Nelson sat out of practice once again with the lingering effects of a staph infection. It had been expected that he would be able to return to practice Monday, but his return was put off at least one more day.
"Reggie is tomorrow from what they tell me," said Meyer. "I'm not sure what tomorrow means. Tomorrow or the next day or the next day or the next day but that's something you can't mess around with, that staph infection."
TIGHT END SITUATION: With Thompson out six to eight weeks, Meyer is shuffling personnel around to handle short yardage situations that will require a second tight end opposite starter Tate Casey.
"We've talked about whether it will be an offensive lineman or whether it will be a Latsko or a (Eric) Rutledge that will help us in our short yardage stuff," said Meyer.
Rutledge and Latsko played fullback last year before moving to linebacker in the spring. With Latsko dinged up with his groin injury, Rutledge was working some at tight end on Monday.
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Aug 24, 2005 12:37:35 GMT -5
Niners remember Herrion at memorial service
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
August 24, 2005
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) -- Thomas Herrion was remembered as a wonderful friend and teammate Tuesday night at a memorial service for the San Francisco 49ers' offensive lineman who collapsed and died after a preseason game last week.
About 500 people attended the service, including NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, union head Gene Upshaw and all of Herrion's teammates and coaches in San Francisco. Herrion's mother and brother sat near the front along with his fellow offensive linemen.
``He was a good kid,'' said his mother, Janice. ``I'm proud of the man he became. It was short-lived, but I'm proud.''
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Framed pictures of Herrion and copies of his white 49ers jersey decorated the room. The short program featured songs composed by teammates Eric Heitmann and Fred Amey, along with impromptu remembrances from former Utah coach Ron McBride, defensive lineman Bryant Young and Herrion's brother, Savior, who shook with grief while he spoke.
``Thomas lived a life we can all aspire to and learn from,'' said Mike Singletary, the 49ers' assistant head coach.
The 49ers drove in a bus convoy from their training complex in Santa Clara to a church in nearby Mountain View. NFL greats Roger Craig and Art Shell also attended
Team chaplain Earl Smith spoke reverently of Herrion's spirit and determination. When Herrion arrived in San Francisco after being cut by the Dallas Cowboys last season, Smith said the lineman told his teammates that he was meant to be with the 49ers.
``What Thomas did was he brought confirmation to the value of people's lives,'' Smith said.
The 49ers went through a full practice Tuesday morning for the first time since the 23-year-old offensive lineman's death. The team had an hour-long workout Monday, but most of the players' heads admittedly weren't in it.
``It started kind of slow, but we got back into it, bad as you might not want to,'' left tackle Jonas Jennings said of Tuesday's workout. ``You've got to get some type of enthusiasm going out there. It's kind of kicking in as a reality. People only grieve for so long, but I'm starting to understand it.''
Most of the 49ers said that being witness to Herrion's collapse was the toughest part of the ordeal. Quarterback Alex Smith, who played with Herrion at Utah for two seasons, had difficulty describing the scene to his parents on the phone.
``I'm still in shock from how it all played out, the locker room scene Saturday night and witnessing that,'' Smith said.
Others around the league saw Herrion's death as a call for new concern about excessive weight. Many players were chastened by the latest reminder of the dangers of their sport.
``Since it happened in the locker room like it did, it affected the 49ers but it also affects everyone in the league,'' said Marcell Almond, a Jacksonville cornerback who played with Herrion in NFL Europe. ``If it would have happened on the field, it would have affected the fans, the teams, both teams. It would have had a different effect on the whole league.''
AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Jacksonville, Fla., contributed to this report.
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highjumper
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Post by highjumper on Sept 6, 2005 19:31:47 GMT -5
Denver coroner: Herrion died of heart disease
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
September 6, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herrion had heart disease and evidence of previous heart trouble when he collapsed and died after a preseason game last month, an official in the Denver County coroner's office said Tuesday.
The coroner's findings confirmed the beliefs of Herrion's family and friends, who were certain drugs played no role in Herrion's death Aug. 20. Herrion's heart condition was caused by factors that are often nearly undetectable, though fairly rare in a 23-year-old athlete in good physical condition.
``It really squashes all the speculation regarding his death,'' said Frederick Lyles, Herrion's agent. ``They appear to be very thorough in their analysis. Hopefully, now people really get off the idea that these guys are overweight, or that drugs or steroids were involved in any way.''
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Herrion had ischemic heart disease, with significant blockage in his right coronary artery that caused the death of heart muscle, according to Amy Martin, a forensic pathologist and deputy coroner in Denver. Herrion's heart was slightly enlarged, a condition that could be related to anything from heart disease and high blood pressure to heredity.
Martin also said the autopsy revealed scar tissue from a recent episode in which blood was restricted to his heart -- but Herrion probably didn't even realize it.
``From the time that he died, something happened a week or so earlier,'' said Martin, who found microscopic evidence of organizing heart necrosis.
``Whether he was aware of that was not clear. There are a lot of instances where people have heart attacks and are not aware of them, especially when your jobs requires you to do things that require you to get hurt. He may not have thought much about it.''
Herrion weighed about 335 pounds at the time of his death, Martin said. The 6-foot-3 athlete was roughly comparable in size to dozens of NFL linemen -- and the 49ers believe Herrion's cardiovascular fitness was outstanding.
Drug screens on Herrion's blood and urine found only atrophine, a drug administered when medical personnel tried to revive him. There's no indication Herrion's enlarged heart was caused by high blood pressure, Martin said.
Lyles spoke to Herrion's mother after the report was released.
``She's having some roller-coaster days,'' Lyles said. ``She was really happy with the outcome. She's just trying to get some closure, and this will help.''
The ebullient lineman, a favorite among his teammates, was on the field for San Francisco's final touchdown drive in a 26-21 loss to Denver, playing exceptionally well and joking with team staff members after it was over.
Players had just finished reciting the Lord's Prayer in the locker room after the game when Herrion collapsed. Though team doctors and medics immediately reached the lineman and took him to the hospital, he couldn't be saved.
``I'm definitely shocked and surprised that someone so young and also in such good shape as Thomas Herrion could have a heart attack,'' said 49ers offensive lineman Eric Heitmann, one of Herrion's friends. ``Thomas passed all the tests at the beginning of the year, and that's what makes this a shock to everybody.''
All NFL players receive complete medical exams from their club, including evaluation of their cardiovascular systems, EKG tests, blood tests and chest X-rays, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement. Stress tests are given at the discretion of the clubs' physicians, though the 49ers' medical staff wasn't available to reporters Tuesday.
Herrion repeatedly passed all tests with the 49ers, the club said earlier.
``Our medical experts have not had an opportunity to review the report,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. ``But based on what we know so far, this may be a case of an unfortunate hereditary condition that is not easily detected, even by the regular and thorough cardiac screening used by NFL clubs. Unfortunately, even young people can be struck without warning by a heart attack.''
Herrion, a second-year pro who grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, played two successful college seasons at Utah. He spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads and also played this spring with the Hamburg Sea Dogs of NFL Europe.
The 49ers held a memorial service in Herrion's honor three days after his death. At his Aug. 27 funeral in Fort Worth, he was remembered as a player who brought joy to everyone and who was dedicated to his family, his religion and to football.
Herrion's helmet, pads and gear still hang in his locker near the entrance to the 49ers' locker room at their training complex, along with photos of the lineman in action and at play.
``He was always a real healthy kid out there,'' Heitmann said. ``He never missed a snap, never missed a play. I don't remember him ever complaining about fatigue.''
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