Just days after celebrating their NCAA championship title, nine members of the Tufts men’s Lacrosse team were left hospitalized by an intense workout, with others in critical condition. On September 16, 2024, the Tufts men’s lacrosse team was led into a dangerous situation by a recent Navy SEAL graduate, who was leading the men’s lacrosse training for the day.
The primary leader of the workout was an alum who had recently graduated from the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL program. The program involves intense training to enhance both physical and mental stamina. The alum was brought in to lead a special training for Tuft’s current men’s lacrosse team. Following the “voluntary, supervised” 45-minute workout, 9 of the players were hospitalized, and shortly diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis (Tufts Daily, Anderson). The Tufts Daily defines Rhabdomyolysis as a condition that “occurs after injury or periods of excessive exercise and causes muscle tissue to break down, releasing toxic substances into the bloodstream” (Tufts Daily, Anderson). The article also states that: “the condition is serious and can lead to permanent disability or death” (Tufts Daily, Anderson). Although nine were initially hospitalized, all 50 of the players were quickly evaluated for Rhabdomyolysis by medical professionals. A week following the tragedy, the majority of the team was discharged, although three remained hospitalized.
Since the workout, Tufts has hired an independent investigator to examine the incident. The investigator will work to assess what happened before, during, and after the workout, and also determine what policies need to be changed in order to prevent any future incidents.
