Nebraska wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey and defensive lineman Dylan Owen were hospitalized and treated for rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo), the program announced today. Lindsey spent three days in the hospital and Owen two; both have since been released and returned to the team.
Obviously, any time two players under the coaching staff's care are taken to the hospital is a major story, particularly when a new coaching staff has just taken over. And Scott Frost's program treated it as such. He released this statement Tuesday afternoon, detailing the workout, the program's subsequent reaction and his responsibility therein.
Nearly this exact scenario played out last January. Just as Frost took over a Nebraska program that didn't make a bowl game and then sent players to the hospital after an initial workout under a new strength coach, so, too, did Willie Taggart's Oregon see three players hospitalized after their initial workout under a new strength coach following a long layoff. But Frost's reaction was completely different than Taggart's. As you'll recall, Oregon's incident was not reported until the local beat writer broke the story, and Taggart responded by shunning that writer. He later said he thought the players overworked themselves and didn't hydrate enough. Frost, meanwhile, started his statement by saying, "Anything that happens in this program is my responsibility" in the very first sentence. Frost should open himself up to questions from the local media about this incident because, again, players going to the hospital within the first weeks of coming under your care is an extremely serious issue. Nebraska has treated it as such, and Frost's first step in handling this story was the right one.
Update> Our read of the above would lead you to believe Coach Duval merits no punitive recourse as a result of his actions...and it appears Nebraska agrees.