5 college basketball players hospitalized after rigorous workout; head coach temporarily removed: report

Five members of the Concordia University Chicago men’s basketball team were sent to a hospital after an intense workout at practice Dec. 31, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The rigorous activity was widely considered a punishment for members of the team violating curfew during a road trip to California, according to Pete Gnan, the school’s athletic director.

The hospitalizations were enough for the school to temporarily remove head coach Steve Kollar from his duties. Kollar is the defending Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.

The Tribune reports that players were asked to go to the emergency room if they were experiencing symptoms related to rhabdomyolysis, a condition where broken-down muscle fibers leak throughout the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can be caused by physical exertion and become life-threatening.

The Division III school postponed two games this week.

Four of the five players have since been released from the hospital.