Judge Grants Northwestern Request

A Cook County, Ill., Circuit Court judge granted approval Tuesday to a request from Northwestern University attorneys to preserve pathology samples from the body of Rashidi Wheeler.

Attorneys Eric F. Quandt and Julian Solotorovsky filed an emergency motion Monday to secure Wheeler’s blood, fluid and tissue samples, asserting that his use of dietary supplements containing ephedrine have been associated with various adverse health effects, including cardiac arrest and stroke.

Wheeler, a 22-year-old Northwestern senior strong safety from La Verne Damien High, collapsed during a conditioning drill Aug. 3 and was pronounced dead later at Evanston Hospital. The Cook County medical examiner ruled Wheeler died of exercise-induced bronchial asthma.

Linda Will, Wheeler’s mother, criticized Northwestern’s defense strategy of suggesting supplements contributed to her son’s death. She also took offense to reports documenting the absence of the asthma medication albuterol in Wheeler’s system.

“My son died because he had an asthma attack during these grueling exercises and there wasn’t a person around who was given proper instruction about how to handle it,” she said. “He flat-lined for eight minutes before paramedics arrived. That’s why he died. Don’t mention the albuterol.”

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The family of a Florida State linebacker who died after an off-season workout has notified the university it will sue the school, alleging negligence contributed to Devaughn Darling’s death.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.