National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

January 5, 1998

Committee asks for anti-dehydration guideline to become rule

The NCAA Wrestling Committee has recommended to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that a guideline relating to rapid weight loss that is published in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook and in the appendix of the 1998 NCAA Wrestling Rules be entered into the main portion of the book, modified, and made a rule.

The committee, which met in a telephone conference December 30, made the recommendation in reaction to the deaths of three NCAA wrestlers between November 7 and December 9.

Until the recommendation is acted upon, all rules in the wrestling rules book apply as printed. The recommendation is as follows:

"The use of vapor-impermeable suits (e.g., rubber or rubberized nylon), laxatives, emetics, diuretics, excessive food and fluid restriction, and self-induced vomiting is prohibited. The use of hot rooms, saunas, hot boxes and steam rooms shall be prohibited on the day of and the day before weigh-ins. Violators would be suspended for the competition(s) for which the weigh-in is intended. A second violation would result in suspension for the remainder of the season."

Current language in the appendix of the rules book says that the preceding substances and practices "should be prohibited" but attaches no penalty for noncompliance. The current guideline also says that hot rooms, hot boxes and steam rooms "should be prohibited," but does not attach the "day of and day before weigh-ins" stipulation. The committee feels that such facilities have legitimate therapeutic use and should not be altogether banned.

Despite media reports to the contrary, the committee has made no other formal rules-change recommendations, though discussions about the issue continue.

Each of the wrestlers who died -- Billy Saylor of Campbell University; Joe LaRosa of University of Wisconsin, La Crosse; and Jeff Reese of University of Michigan -- collapsed during or after workouts to make weight for an upcoming match. Medical personnel were unable to revive them. No similar previous death is known to have happened in collegiate wrestling, though the practice of losing weight to qualify for weight classes is common.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continue to investigate the deaths. The NCAA is assisting both organizations in determining all factors involved so that the Association's committees can develop measures that are best for the participants and the sport.

Various media outlets have theorized that the student-athletes may have used some type of dietary supplement that contributed to their deaths, but no such use has been confirmed. No timetable exists for completion of the FDA/CDC investigation.

Randall W. Dick, NCAA assistant director of sports sciences, emphasized that while the investigations may undercover other mitigating factors in the deaths, it appears that behaviors that contribute to excessive dehydration were a major factor.

"We sympathize with the families, fellow students and teammates of these men," said Mike Moyer, chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee and former coach and current director of the Patriot Club at George Mason University. "Rules are not guarantees, but we can go a long way toward ensuring that what we do maximizes the safety of the individuals who participate in this sport. In the meantime, everyone involved in wrestling needs to understand that the practice of using excessive dehydration to lose weight needs to come to an immediate end."

After LaRosa's death, members of the Wrestling Committee met with members of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports via a telephone conference. As a result of that call, a memo reminding member institutions of NCAA guidelines on weight loss that are published in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook and in the appendix of the NCAA Wrestling Rules Book was sent to all member schools that sponsor the sport.

After the death of Reese, USA Wrestling, the sport's national governing body, organized a conference call that included the sport's U.S. leaders at all levels, from scholastic to national team, and various medical experts. Organizations represented included the NCAA staff, the Wrestling Committee and the competitive-safeguards committee, as well as the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the National Federation of State High School Associations and the Amateur Athletic Union.

The result of that call was the creation of the "Joint Committee to Address Weight Management in Wrestling," which includes at least one member from each organization. The group was divided further into three subcommittees -- sports sciences, education and public relations.

The joint committee issued the following resolution:

"As leaders in wrestling, we are dedicated to maximizing the safety of athletes who participate in the sport.

"Traditionally, this sport has depended upon weight to assure competitive fairness. We resolve to consider both weight and other alternative measures to maintain competitive equity in the sport.

ŗIn order for this to be achieved in a fair, responsible and practical way, we resolve to:

  • Promote safe and responsible weight-control practices on every level of the sport;

  • Eliminate from wrestling any and all weight-control practices that could potentially risk the health of the participants;

  • Constantly monitor and evaluate rules and procedures to make sure they effectively achieve these goals;

  • Educate coaches, athletes, parents and fans about proper weight-management strategies;

  • Stress technique, strength, fitness, skill, experience and strategy as the most effective methods to achieve success in wrestling. After Reesešs death, the Wrestling Committee sent a second memorandum reminding schools to follow the guidelines for losing weight that are published in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook and in the appendices of the wrestling rules book.

    Michigan, which had suspended its season after Reesešs death, resumed it December 29. However, it established a ban on student-athletes using saunas for weight loss and implemented various other safety measures that were developed by a university-appointed task force.

    Prosecutor will not file charges

    No criminal charges will be filed in the death of University of Michigan wrestler Jeff Reese, who collapsed December 9 following a severe weight loss regimen.

    Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie announced the decision following a two-week investigation into the case that has helped generate calls for reform in collegiate wrestling.

    "The reports submitted and all of the other information regarding the tragic death of this young man do not support a finding of criminal wrongdoing,'" Mackie told The Associated Press.

    An autopsy concluded that Reese died of a "metabolic derangement'' from his efforts to rapidly shed pounds to qualify to wrestle at a 150-pound weight class.

    Reese, 21, a junior from Wellsburg, New York, had kidney failure and heart malfunction while wearing a rubber suit during a two-hour workout in a 92-degree room. He had been trying to lose 12 pounds in a single day, according to newspaper reports.

    "I think it's obviously the right decision,'' university Vice-President Walter Harrison said. "It's nice to have closure on this aspect of what was a very sad incident.''

    In another development, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is investigating the effects of creatine, a synthetic muscle-building supplement widely used by athletes. The agency wants to know whether the wrestlers' deaths were linked to dietary supplements.

    According to preliminary autopsy findings reported by The Detroit News, Reese's body contained elevated levels of creatinine -- caused by the rapid breakdown of creatine, a substance found naturally in muscle tissue. But experts say an elevated level of creatine would be expected in anyone who died from something similar to a heat stroke.