Thomas Herrion: Death by Fat?

The number of articles on this is simply staggering, and BFBers sent in many many links. I wanted to spotlight one more, this editorial by Mike Wise of the Washington Post. In the end, it comes off as a sermon. To paraphrase: we're all fat, it's bad for everyone, and the NFL is being stupid by not "doing something" about it. I wonder if that means putting players on restrictive diets because, you know, it's not like the human body needs food or anything. I'm also wondering what it takes to be deemed an "expert", for it seems like all one needs to do is write one study and boom! That's it. I wrote a study on Egyptian mathematics in high school; does that make me an expert? (Yes, I'm being facetious.)

Sudden death in black athletes is a very interesting topic. We had a death here (highschool football) that was the result of undiagnosed Sickle Cell Trait Life-threatening complications of exercise These are very real problems with sudden death in black athletes that need media attention, not just some BMI blather. Do we see anything about this in any of these articles? Are Black Athlete Deaths Underreported? A Minnesota Research Team Says "Yes"

BTW, the Egyptian symbol for "one million" is a seated little guy (the God Heh) throwning his hands up in the air and looking shocked. That's how I feel when I read about them focusing on BMI in a Black Athletes death instead of real Black health problems. Sorry about double posting but this is really p***ing me off. Heh Yeah!!!

I read an msn article about this a couple days ago, and hoped it would be posted here. I found it amazing that, even before any posthumous examinations could be done, the media/whoever-that-doctor-is were speculating that it his death was weight-related. Despite the fact that people he worked with were quoted as saying he was in great shape, and withstood training in high temps & humidity quite well.

I also knew the minute I heard about it that it would all come back to weight and BMI. I also read the obnoxious column by Mike Wise in the Post, and what was interesting is, he made a comparison to Joe Jacoby of the late, great Hogs (the offensive lineman from back in the 80's when the Redskins won their first Super Bowl). Basically, he said that although Jacoby (and none of the Hogs are dead, btw, just 'late, great' since they no longer play) too was huge, he was 4 inches taller, so then he must not have been fat like all offensive (and many defensive) linemen are today. Therefore the 'obesity epidemic' of the past decade is somehow a new phenomena to the NFL, and all these supposed 'fat' players are endangering their health unlike players of the past. Go google a photo of the Hogs-they all had bellies, inculding Joe Jacoby. So, if we can trace the phenomena of 300+ lineman back to 1983 at least (that first 'skins Super Bowl), and Herrion is the first Offensive Lineman to die, then the linkage between BMI, "fat", and death for football players is outrageous. Other media reports link this to the death of Defensive Lineman Kory Stringer a few years ago, but that was heat stroke compounded with ephedra use, I believe. I wonder too if anyone has read anything linking Herrion's death to pitcher Steve Buechler (I think I spelled that right) from the Baltimore Orioles who died a few years ago from heat stroke and rapid weight loss and ephedra use. People blamed fat for that, too, even though, IMO, it is more properly linked to unhealthy weight loss and supplement abuse, not fat. Of course no one in the media blamed the Orioles organization for creating an atmosphere where people were afraid they'd lose their job if the didn't lose weight as fast as possible. One other football point-he throws in a gratuitous insult at Tony Siragusa's belly (he's a retired Baltimore Raven Defensive Lineman), just because he could. It had nothing to do with the rest of the column, and Wise didn't even try to link it to the rest of the column. He just wanted to throw insults around like any schoolyard bully. But then, the Post likes some of their sports columnists to spout off like all the screamers you hear on any sports call-in program.

Bmi? excuse me , I've never seen a pro football player without huge muscles. and muscles are heavier than fat.

The doctor who said he should weigh 210 is insane. My husband at weighs 200 lbs. at 6'4" (close enough to Herrion's 6'3") and he's skinny -- he's not built even remotely like a football player. I wonder if they discussed the possibility of steroids before making his weight an issue.

And the doctor quoted in the article, Joyce Harp, should also be ashamed of herself. It's unethical for a doctor to diagnosis a person that she has never met. It's unseemly for a doctor to offer her opinion on a cause of death of a body she hasn't examined. And the BMI really does have very little to do with all of this. What happened to waiting for the evidence before making a judgment?

I watched CNN very soon after the news broke that Herrion died and was APPALLED by the commentary of the CNN anchors who immediately attributed his death to his weight (with a couple "Of course, we're not yet sure why he died, but" statements tossed in to cover themselves). I felt sick hearing them. Every account I've read from his teammates and the coaching staff says that Herrion was in great shape and full of energy. All of the speculation by "journalists" and physicians is beyond irresponsible. My heart goes out to Herrion's family and wish they did not have to be subjected to this.

My heart also goes out to the family. I find myself often disgusted by the media's lack of respect for the dead and the loved ones left behind. Story after story, the media speculates 'death by fat' before the dust has settled. Ugh.

Good Grief! Do you know how many football players weigh more than 300 pounds? I don't even want to start counting. And "The Refrigerator", who weighed over 300 pounds when he played for the Bears, went on to win a SuperBowl ring. This is prejudice at its worst.

Please note Dr. Harps research interest- obesity drugs!

Yeah, I can just picture a 210-pound offensive lineman. Never mind dying after a game -- they'd crush him to death during.

I don't think they should make any assumptions because those get turned into "facts" if repeated enough. They should wait for the autopsy report, and that will take a while. And the results won't be front page news, that's for sure.

I saw the bit about Herrion on the news the day after he died, and was outraged when they immediately started going off about how he was "clinically obese."  (Of interest is the fact that he was attempting to lose weight.) Reggie White succumbed to sarcoidosis (genetic, IIRC).  They put out fat-bashing articles about him, too. -Qit

This drives me crazy. The whole BMI thing. When I was in college they had a body fat % sensor. And the whole health class got on it, and guess what? That girl in front of me that only weighs 115lbs? She was 45% fat according to the calculations. And me, weighing in at 225 (at the time) - came in at 38% - still high by the chart, but obviously, lower pounds does not equal healthier body. That girl was probably the kind that didn't excersize cause she "didn't have too". Football players work hard, in the heat and all kinds of weather. They sweat buckets. They lift weights. They run miles, and alot of physical trainers are including stretching type things in the work outs, to hit the big three (cardio, strength, and flexibility). I'm betting at 310, that player was solid. Personally I think this skinny minority is making such a big stink cause they are afraid. Afraid we'll shut them up, afraid they'll be fat someday too, afraid to lose their "superiority". Truth is, Fat people die, Skinny people die - fact of life.

Amberbugg, I think you hit it on the nail. I think they are afraid of aging in general, since weight gain is a natural factor of aging. I think they're afraid that it could happen to them and that they'll be treated rudely, too. In my experience, those who bully others often have low self-esteem themselves. So I would not be surprised if most of the fatphobic types had low self-esteem, even if they had good bodies, because we live in a culture where having a good body and good health isn't enough. Your body has to be perfect. You have to be perfect. If you're not, better spend your money on plastic surgery or something. When is our culture's unhealthy focus on the superficial going to end?

Reuters just came out with a story that Herrion died of a heart attack. Near-complete blockage of the right coronary artery, they said. Coroner: Herrion Died of Heart Attack