Gester and Walker. You guys really need to read the the 18 page report on the rhabdo incident. You guys are perpetuating the falsehood that the affected players were somehow responsible. There are several passages that make it clear and actually dispel those rumors that the players were acting irresponsibly before and after the workouts. And drug tests on those players actually confirm this.
I realize that this was an "in-house" investigation but it is a good as we were going to get. It is still worth reading. I am convinced the players were 0% responsible.
This workout wasn't done for year(S) like some of you have falsely claimed. Only twice before ('04 and '07) and the timing of the 2011 workout was much different than the previous two and more likely to cause problems. 2004 was done in the summer and 2007 was done in December following only a one week layoff. 2011 followed a 3-week winter break and it was basically the first official workout thrown at them. That is NOT on the players.
A couple more points. There were three workout groups that day. There was a dispute between the first group (6:00 am) and the coaching staff. Some of the players claim they were not allowed to take remove their hands from the squat bar thus preventing them from drinking water. Later groups don't report this. Later groups also had rhabdo victims. The committee investigating never could determine who was lying basically.
What is clear is that players were required to perform 100 back squats with 50% of their personal best weight. Players that were made to do more squats, because some weren't considered full or complete and thus not counted, were more likely to suffer from rhabdo. And smaller and more skilled players were more likely to suffer vs heavier athletes like lineman, leading some to believe it might be related to fast twitch muscle fibers and a difference in muscle breakdown etc.
I believe the commitee's findings that Doyle and others were not intentionally trying to hurt their players. He/they didn't know what the consequences might be and they didn't recognize or discounted the symptoms from the affected players in subsequent days. But when 13 of your athletes under your direct supervision are hospitalized due to a workout you designed, shouldn't you be suspended pending an investigation? At the very least? Instead you win an award? Those of you who believe big-time college athletics can't corrupt our officials here at Iowa need to think about that.
What IS interesting is how little Ferentz is mentioned in this report. I, along with many others, witnessed a clear lack of leadership from him. Many found his response and lack of communication to be utterly insufficient and shocking. Cowardly IMO. He often seems to be above the fray and not held accountable IMO.
Finally, I am really tired of the whole "players must be responsible" narrative. This has been going on for 7 years now! This from the report's summary:
"The 13 football players who were hospitalized were in no way responsible for their own injuries. In particular they did not take banned substances or engage in other risky behaviors."
You really need to read the full report and we can talk more if you want.
https://www.scribd.com/document/51390471/FinalReportonRhabdoincident