The death of Michigan wrestler and Kinesiology junior Jefferey Reese has prompted a nationwide reassessment of wrestling, as well as deep shock and sadness within the University community.
Reese died Dec. 9, when he collapsed after a strenuous workout at Crisler Arena. Reese had been trying to cut the final pounds that would put him into the 150 weight class for a meet against Michigan State the following day. He had been trying to cut a total of 17 pounds in only a few days.
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Wrestling teammate and childhood friend Brian Aparo, a Kinesiology senior, said one of the most difficult things to accept about Reese's death was that he died for the team.
"His body just stopped. He had to make a weight class and he was so close," Aparo said. "He wanted to redeem himself from the last match" against Michigan State.
Reese's death put a spotlight on legal and ethical issues surrounding the University's wrestling program. Wrestling is widely recognized for its extreme training methods.
An autopsy report issued Dec. 15 by Washtenaw County Medical Examiner Bader Cassin states that Reese died from kidney failure and heart malfunction caused by excessive exercising and dehydration.
According to Department of Public Safety investigation documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, assistant wrestling coach Joe McFarland was with Reese when he collapsed.
The report states that Reese had been working out in a rubber suit with "sweats" over the nylon suit, and that Reese had been "riding an exercise bike and using the sauna."
Since his death, University officials have said they plan to ban the use of rubber suits.
During a check of the workout area logged in the DPS report, nothing out of the ordinary was noted except excessive heat: The thermostat on the wall in the wrestling room was checked at 10:11 p.m., and the temperature was at least 92 degrees.
Reese stayed behind with McFarland after his teammates weighed in at the end of wrestling practice, which lasted for about one hour, wrestling coach Dale Bahr said in the DPS report. Bahr took the team out to dinner while Reese continued his attempts to lose weight. The practice began at 3:30 p.m. and Reese became "woozy" around 8 p.m.
In the weeks since Reese's death, several speculations have been made, including that all of Reese's workout was done in the sauna. But the DPS report states that "McFarland said that Reese was going in and out of it and was not working out exclusively in it."
In addition to the speculation surrounding Reese's exercise routine the night he died, questions have been raised about his possible use of a dietary supplement called creatine and whether McFarland's call for help was delayed. But the autopsy report and the DPS investigation have since proven both accusations false.
Although the autopsy report states that very high levels of creatine were found in Reese's body within two hours after his death, this substance can be produced naturally by the body. Cassin could not be reached for comment yesterday. But Debra Wright, the administrative coordinator for the Medical Examiner's Office, said the level of natural creatine found in Reese's body was normal considering the amount of exercise he had done.
"Creatine is a substance that is found naturally in the body," Wright said. "With this type of death, where fluid and food intake is reduced and exercise is so increased, the level of creatine found in his body was very normal for the body to have produced naturally."
Addressing the questions of whether McFarland waited too long to call 911, Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Mackie said there was no proof of delay and no legal action will be taken.
"Putting it all together, it's obvious that there could be no undue delay," Mackie said. "There's no evidence to the contrary. There's no criminality that we found."
Mackie made his ruling after reviewing several reports, including the DPS report and the chief medical examiner's report, which ruled Reese's death an accident.
Questions still remain about whether Reese had enough time to lose the desired amount of weight. DPS reports state that Bahr asked Reese to wrestle in the 150 weight class on Dec. 4, before the team left for a tournament in Las Vegas. In the report, Bahr said Reese stayed in Ann Arbor to lose the weight for the Dec. 10 meet.
Bahr also said in the report that Reese weighed 170 pounds on Saturday, Dec. 6, giving him just four days to lose about 20 pounds.
Both Bahr and McFarland declined to comment.
- Read the Daily tomorrow and Friday for more coverage about the reaction to Jefferey Reese's death, including profiles of two task forces that may change wrestling programs nationwide.
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