Northwestern University officials are investigating whether a number of Wildcats football players, including the late Rashidi Wheeler, took a potentially harmful supplement before a strenuous conditioning test eight days ago. Wheeler, an asthmatic, died Aug. 3 after completing three-quarters of that test.
The supplement in question, Ultimate Orange, contains ma huang, which is an herbal ephedrine, and guarana, another energy-enhancing herbal product. While Ultimate Orange is available over the counter, ephedrine is banned by the NCAA. Both ma huang and guarana, which has a caffeine content two to four times that of coffee, are banned by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
There is no evidence that Wheeler took Ultimate Orange, a stimulant that claims to help athletes get through strenous workouts. But Wildcats linebacker Kevin Bentley said Friday that he heard teammates talking about the stimulant in the locker room an hour before the conditioning test.
“People started saying they were going to take it or might take it,” Bentley recalled. “I didn’t see anyone take it.”
Another Wildcat, who asked to remain anonymous, said he witnessed players taking a dietary supplement the day of Wheeler’s death. He refused to name those players. And, he added, “I cannot say Rashidi took it.”
Charles Loebbaka, a Northwestern spokesman, said the investigation of whether players took dietary supplements is part of the university’s overall review of the circumstances surrounding Wheeler’s death. He declined to comment further.
Ephedra, a component of Ultimate Orange, reportedly has caused high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and other ailments, according to published reports.
Ephedrine is the chemical derivative of ephedra and is used in over-the-counter decongestants and to treat asthma.
On a Web site selling the product, it claims, “Ultimate Orange has been helping serious athletes maximize workout results for over 17 years.”
It also notes that “improper use of this product may be hazardous to your health.”
Edmund Donoghue, the Cook County medical examiner, said the preliminary report on Wheeler’s death indicated the player died from bronchial asthma.
He said the toxicology report on Wheeler, which will test for ephedrine, will not be completed for several weeks.
Wheeler, a 22-year-old senior safety, died after failing to complete the annual conditioning test, a series of sprints that takes about 12 minutes. In the first minutes after he dropped out, Wheeler appeared to be having an asthma attack similar to those that had struck him at other times in his career.
But ultimately his heart stopped and efforts by Northwestern trainers, Evanston paramedics and doctors at the Evanston Hospital emergency room failed to revive him.
Linda Will, Wheeler’s mother, has charged the last hour of her son’s life was “chaos” and that he could have been saved with better treatment.
She said 10 to 12 players collapsed while taking the conditioning test and that this number overwhelmed the training staff on hand.
“I’ve never seen that many guys fall out from a test,” Bentley said Friday. “I don’t think it had anything to do with the way we do things. We’ve been running that test since [head coach Randy Walker] got here.”
Tory Aggeler, Northwestern’s head trainer, said he has been ordered by the university not to comment on the circumstances surrounding Wheeler’s death. “It’s very, very frustrating,” said Aggeler, who treated Wheeler after he collapsed. “The truth will come out.”
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The university discourages the use of dietary supplements and, in a handbook given to all athletes, suggests they consult a trainer before taking any.
But Bentley said he wouldn’t be surprised if some of his teammates had taken them.
“They try to educate us on what’s legal and what’s illegal, and if something’s wrong, to bring it to the trainers,” he said.
“At the same time, some guys may know it’s bad and not bring it to trainers. … Everyone’s looking for an edge, and that’s what the invention of supplements was for.
“To get an edge.”