A third-party Navy SEAL instructor who led a strenuous training session that resulted in the hospitalization of Tufts University lacrosse players appeared to lack credentials to supervise group exercise, and the university should implement stricter workout procedures, according to an independent review released Friday.
The Tufts men’s lacrosse team and two other students took part in the workout, which was guided by a recent graduate of the Boston-area university who was once the lacrosse team’s equipment manager and is now a Navy SEAL. The workout in September 2024 was “unusually intense,” with 24 of the 61 participants having rhabdomyolysis, a devastating and uncommon muscle damage, according to the report.
Nine of the students had to be hospitalized, according to the review, which was written by sports health specialist Rod Walters and attorney Randy Aliment. According to the investigation, the Navy SEALs’ lack of proper credentials, along with Tuft’s lack of a plan for transporting pupils to hospitals, resulted in a dangerous situation that should have been prevented.
“The Navy SEAL Workout did not follow principles of acclimatization that are necessary to avoid injury during training,” according to the summary. “The Navy SEAL Workout was not exercise-science based, physiologically sport-specific, or tailored to the individual sport of lacrosse.”
According to the evaluation, the Navy SEAL who led the workout declined to be interviewed, but others involved in the investigation cooperated. The study does not name the Navy SEAL, and the institution has declined to do so.
Navy officials “are aware of the report’s release and that a member of the Naval Special Warfare community led a workout with Tufts University student athletes in September 2024,” according to a Naval Special Warfare spokeswoman. The member was on personal leave at the time, according to the spokeswoman, who declined to comment further.
According to the review, students who participated in the workout were not informed about the exercises or the number of repetitions required. According to some accounts of the activity, pupils “performed about 250 burpees and other exercises over the approximately 75-minute workout,” with students who struggled being hauled out to drop their heart rates with slower exercises.
While 40% of participants finished the program without modification, students began complaining about stiffness later, according to the review. According to the review, incidents of exertional rhabdomyolysis — a potentially fatal illness in which muscles break down — were discovered in the following days.
The investigation indicates that Tufts workers should have a better knowledge of their duties and responsibilities in the future to avoid a similar situation from occurring again. This entails “vetting of team workout plans that deviate from those usually employed,” it says.
Tuft’s men’s lacrosse team is one of the most successful Division III programs in the country, having won the NCAA championship in 2024.
Tufts president Sunil Kumar and athletics director John Morris announced in a statement that all students have recovered and resumed normal activities.
Nonetheless, “it is critical that we understand what led to this situation and to take steps to develop better and safer training practices for our student-athletes,” according to a spokesperson.
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