This is the 21st August since Linda Will’s then-22-year-old son, Rashidi Wheeler, collapsed during conditioning drills and died on a Northwestern University football practice field. The Cook County (Ill.) Coroner declared his cause of death a bronchial asthma attack.
“Every moment, from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, you live it – this recurring nightmare,” Will said. “But August is the worst. We dread August.”
It’s why Will shuddered last week when she learned Nebraska coach Scott Frost reported on his radio show that the Cornhuskers’ offensive linemen vomit 15 to 20 times at practice while being directed by new line coach Donovan Raiola.
“That mentality that he expressed remains prevalent, and it’s just like the drill that my son passed from. In order to compete, the coaches feel they want to know what it takes to make a player break,” Will said.
“I’m all for hard work, but when you institute methods that make a player vomit or collapse, we’ve lost all sense. Why we think we have to push a person to this degree is beyond scientific explanation, and it’s a mindset that has to be changed. Instead of building a player up, some of them play upon the player’s fear: ‘Am I going to lose my position? My playing time?’”
When he detailed the vomiting on the radio show, Frost said of his players, “It’s not because they’re not in shape — (Raiola’s) just working them hard. I think they love it. He’s kind of freed them up to go be aggressive and I love the way they’re coming off the ball.”
A former Nebraska quarterback, Frost declined to respond to USA TODAY Sports regarding his conditioning philosophy in questions emailed to him through Nebraska’s football spokesman.
The spokesman pointed to a brief Sunday news conference statement Frost made regarding the criticism that followed his practice-field revelation.
“I was trying to portray how hard the O-line has been working and how proud of them I am,” Frost said at the availability. “I might’ve exaggerated puking a little bit, but the important thing is I want to make sure everybody understands our training staff…