The Navy SEAL who led a Tufts University workout that left nine student athletes hospitalized lacked the proper credentials for group fitness.
The workout, conducted last year with dozens of members of the university’s men’s lacrosse team, left more than a third of participants suffering from the potentially fatal condition of rhabdomyolysis, according to a new independent report commissioned by the university.
The report found that the guest trainer, a Tufts University graduate and former lacrosse team equipment manager and current active-duty Navy SEAL, had been invited to lead the group workout by the Tufts Director of Sports performance, a personal friend. The men’s lacrosse team was returning from summer vacation shortly before the incident. The Sept. 16 workout, described as “voluntary,” involved 61 students, 59 of whom were part of the university’s men’s lacrosse team.
Investigators found that the workout, described simply as “the Navy SEAL workout” in the report, was not properly shared with university staff and also was “inappropriate” when it came to conditioning for the student athletes. Ultimately 24 of those participants were diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis and nine of them were hospitalized.
“The Navy SEAL Workout did not follow principles of acclimatization that are necessary to avoid injury during training,” the report found. “The Navy SEAL Workout was not exercise-science based, physiologically sport-specific, or tailored to the individual sport of lacrosse.”
The independent report found that the sailor did not have the credentials to lead or design group exercises and was not familiar with university and NCAA guidelines or policies. The analysis, put together by a sports medicine professional and a lawyer, also noted that the university did not have a set policy for evaluating and clearing any third-part instructor like the SEAL. The report did not identify the SEAL; previous statements by the university had said the sailor was a “recent” graduate of SEAL training.
The 75-minute workout, described as “unusually intense,” involved several exercises that were only announced to participants by the SEAL as they came up. The report noted it included 250 burpees. More than half of the students had to modify the workout to accommodate health. Only 40% of the student athletes, or 24 people, completed the exercise without having to modify the program. The athletes did not immediately appear unwell, with symptoms only appearing the next day. Eventually many were hospitalized after more were found to be suffering from rhabdomyolysis. Tufts University administrators coordinated a medical referral response, but the report found it did not meet “directives from the athletic trainer.”
Rhabdomyolysis, also known as “rhabdo,” is a medical condition where muscle tissue breaks down from overexertion. This causes enzymes and proteins to spread through the bloodstream, causing impacts on the kidneys and other organs. In some cases rhabdo has resulted in death.
The medical fallout was said to have “developed slowly and escalated quickly.” Investigators also found that the athletes were medically cleared to participate in the workout. Of the two non-team members who joined in, one had signed the appropriate form but the other had not and was not cleared to participate.
The report recommended that the university periodically review policies tied to conditioning and athletic training, as well as ensure that all guest instructors are versed in state and university policies and guidelines. It also noted that Tufts officials, from coaches to administrators, should have the power to stop such a workout or class if it does not meet those standards.
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