Chicago-area players sent to hospital after grueling workout

RIVER FOREST, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago college postponed two men’s basketball games after five players went to a hospital following a rigorous workout.

Concordia University Chicago in River Forest also has temporarily removed coach Steve Kollar, school spokesman Eric Matanyi said.

The last player was released from a hospital Saturday, he said.

“The length of the stays varied from several hours to several days,” Matanyi told The Associated Press.

Athletic director Pete Gnan sent a letter to parents Thursday, explaining what happened after a late December trip to California, where the team played two games. He said the team was put through a “particularly high-intensity, collegiate-level circuit training” on Dec. 31.

Circuit training generally refers to moving through exercise stations with little time for breaks.

Five players were admitted to a hospital between Monday and Wednesday, Gnan said.

He told parents that he learned that several players missed a night curfew during the California trip.

“It has been alleged by some that the intensity and difficulty of Saturday’s practice was a direct consequence of the broken curfew earlier in the week. ... The university continues to look into the matter and is also working to determine all factors that contributed to the student hospitalizations,” Gnan said.

He said Concordia has “zero tolerance for harassment or retaliatory actions of any kind.”

The Division III Cougars, who are 8-2, postponed games that were scheduled for Saturday and last Tuesday.

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