Cal admits negligence in 2014 death of Ted Agu
Nearly two years after the death of Ted Agu, the University of California has admitted to negligence in the passing of the walk-on defensive lineman.
Agu died the morning of Feb. 7, 2014 after collapsing during a team workout and a report from the San Francisco Chronicle indicates the university acknowledged liability in documents that were signed on Monday.
The concession from the university arose from testimony in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the university by Agu’s parents, who claimed coaches and trainers did not promptly react when Agu was struggling. The lawsuit prompted further examination into the actions of Cal football personnel in the moments preceding Agu’s death.
Agu had sickle cell trait, a blood abnormality. According to the Center for Disease Control, individuals with sickle cell trait “have been shown to be more likely than those without sickle cell trait to experience heat stroke and muscle breakdown when doing intense exercise.”
From the Chronicle:
The admission comes after testimony in a lawsuit brought by Agu’s parents raised questions about the actions of Cal football personnel in the events that preceded his death. The testimony, given in confidential depositions, also detailed allegations that campus officials did not provide the Alameda County coroner’s office with all police and medical records after Agu died, including some that indicated he had sickle cell trait — a blood abnormality that experts believe can lead to death under extreme exertion.
The medical examiner’s office initially attributed Agu’s death to a heart condition that would not have presented the same symptoms as a crisis related to sickle cell trait.
Agu’s death was originally attributed to a heart condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), but the cause of death was later changed after the Alameda County forensic pathologist examined the depositions given by Agu’s teammates who also participated in the workout. More than a year after the initial cause of death was determined, the primary cause was changed to “exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait,” with “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy” listed under “other conditions.”
The workout involved “groups of players grabbing a heavy rope together, running to a steep street nearby and charging up and down the incline 10 times.”
Per the Chronicle, the depositions from Agu’s teammates “offer contradictory narratives of the hours leading up to Agu’s death” when compared to the account provided by football staff members.
From the Chronicle:
Cal staffers say they came to Agu’s aid as soon as they noticed him falter and had to forcibly stop him from completing the workout. But teammates say he was visibly struggling for an extended period and fell on multiple occasions before he finally collapsed and team officials intervened.
The players’ accounts of the incident have led to a rare amendment of the cause of death, and suggest that what UC Berkeley officials told the public and the media about the morning Agu died may not have been the full story.
The workout was run by head strength and conditioning coach Damon Harrington, who head coach Sonny Dykes previously worked with at Louisiana Tech. Cal’s coaches and trainers were aware that Agu had sickle cell trait.
Documents filed in the lawsuit show that Cal football’s head physician, Dr. Casey Batten, informed coaches and trainers that Agu carried the trait and instructed them in an annual briefing that they should immediately cease such an athlete’s activity should any warning signs appear.
According to several player accounts, trainers, including head trainer Robert Jackson, did not intervene immediately when Agu was “struggling” and “fell several times.”
From the Chronicle:
Daniel Lasco, a running back and team captain at the time, was on the rope with Agu during the drill. He said he assigned Agu to lead their group up the hill, which required him at times to pull the other players behind him. Former offensive lineman Matt Cochran, who was injured and observed from the drill route’s periphery, described Agu falling multiple times and showing signs of fatigue beginning about midway through the workout.
After teammates noticed Agu struggling, Lasco took his place at the front of the rope. Lasco testified of his time leading the drill: “It felt like you were pulling three tires behind you. … When I was up there, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe I let him do this.’”
Jacobi Hunter, a former defensive tackle who was also injured that day and walked the route, testified that Jackson, the trainer, was looking directly at Agu when he fell, and did not offer aid.
About halfway up the hill on their last lap, Lasco testified, Agu finally stopped, bent over, fell to his knees, then curled into a fetal position. A few players said they helped him up and walked a few steps with him before he fell down again.
“It’s like something just pulled a battery out of him, and he just stopped working,” cornerback Trevellous Cheek said during his deposition.
Players said they threw water on Agu and yelled for team trainers.
Jackson and Harrington had different accounts.
Jackson testified that Agu never actually collapsed and that he did not notice Agu and Lasco switching places. Neither Harrington nor Jackson saw any sign of Agu noticeably struggling up until the final lap, they testified.
Jackson said he approached Agu after he saw players huddled around him. He said that teammates were urging Agu to keep running and that they initially ignored him when he told them to stop.
“I tell the guys, ‘We’re ceasing activity. We’re stopping. We need to take control of the situation,’” Jackson said in his deposition. He also testified that Agu wanted to keep running.
Harrington said he was alerted to the situation only when Agu’s drill team ran down the hill without him.
Jackson said he called for a golf cart to take Agu down the hill. He also said he tried to take Agu’s pulse, but Agu slapped his hand away and said, “I’m good.”
As the cart reached the stadium, Cal officials said, Agu slumped over and became unresponsive. Trainers called 911, laid him on the ground, started cardiopulmonary resuscitation and attached an external defibrillator. Emergency medical personnel then drove Agu to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 8 a.m.
By acknowledging its role in Agu’s death, the university said in a statement that the focus can move toward providing compensation for the family.
After Agu’s death, several players said they lost trust in the coaching staff. Multiple players transferred or quit the team “because of how football staffers handled Agu’s death.”
“We didn’t have a grieving process,” former defensive tackle Jacobi Hunter testified. “They just kind of, ‘Well, we need to move on,’ instead of giving the respect where it was due and the honor where it was needed.”
Agu was 21 years old.
For more Cal news, visit GoldenBearReport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
