Tufts lacrosse players released from hospital after workout

A dozen players on the team were diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis after a “voluntary, supervised” 45-minute workout on Sept. 16, according to the university. The players began to feel sick in the days after the workout, according to Patrick Collins, a Tufts spokesperson.

Seven players were treated in an emergency room and released last week, while five others remained in the hospital. As of Monday, three players were still in the hospital, the university said.

The university said it has retained D. Rod Walters II, “a nationally recognized expert in the care and prevention of student-athlete injuries,” and Randy Aliment of the law firm Lewis Brisbois to conduct an outside investigation into the workout.

Tufts officials said the investigation will “determine exactly what happened before, during, and after the workout; assess the university’s response; assess our conditioning and training protocols; and review our procedures and policies to determine what changes we should make to prevent this from happening again.”

“We know you have lots of questions. Frankly, we do as well,” the university officials said in Wednesday’s message. “And we know that it can be frustrating that we have not yet provided answers to all the questions that have been asked to us. However, we are following investigative best practices by refraining from making public statements to avoid unintentionally influencing the direction of the independent investigation. We are committed to conducting a thorough, unbiased investigation that ultimately leads to better and safer training practices for our student athletes.”

Rhabdomyolysis is a life-threatening condition in which damaged muscles break down. It can cause kidney damage after toxic components of muscle fibers enter the circulation system and kidneys.

It can result from overexertion, trauma, medications, or an underlying health condition. Common signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis are weak muscles, muscle stiffness, muscle pain, and a change in urine color.

Medical specialists said rhabdomyolysis can be brought on by intense physical exercise that a person’s body isn’t accustomed to.

The NCAA and the New England Small College Athletic Conference, which Tufts competes in, could not be reached for comment.

The university has found itself under scrutiny since last week, when the Globe reported that five students remained hospitalized several days after the workout.

On campus Wednesday, students said they were stunned and saddened that so many players were injured.

“We were shocked,” said Emma Namiranian, 18, a freshman from Newton who is studying biology. “It was sad to hear.”

Others, who declined to be named, thought the apparent severity of the workout raised oversight questions.

“It definitely shouldn’t have happened,” one student said.

Connor Smirl, 19, a freshman studying economics, said he is friends with some of the lacrosse players that participated in the workout but said they haven’t shared any details.

“It seems that it’s a topic they don’t want to discuss,” Smirl said.

Jordan Andrew, 21, a senior studying computer science and a member of the women’s track and field team, said she doesn’t understand how a 45-minute workout could send so many students to the hospital.

“I have been here for four years and I never heard of anything like this happening,” Andrew said.

“They are not Navy SEALS, they are D-III athletes.”

This story will be updated. Danny McDonald of the Globe staff and Globe correspondents Sabrina Lam and Izzy Bryars contributed to this report.

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Nick Stoico can be reached at [email protected]. Rachel Umansky-Castro can be reached at [email protected].