WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) introduced the Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act in the United States House of Representatives. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the companion legislation in the United States Senate. This legislation can serve as a lifeline for student athletes and requires college athletic programs to create, implement, and rehearse specific heat illness emergency action plans (EAPs) in consultation with local emergency responders, including the operation and use of cold-water immersion equipment, in order to avoid heat-related illnesses and fatalities.
This legislation honors Jordan McNair, who was a freshman on the University of Maryland football team when he collapsed of a heatstroke during practice on May 29, 2018. Roughly 90 minutes passed before McNair arrived at a nearby hospital in critical condition. He was airlifted to the University of Maryland Medical Center Shock Trauma Center to receive an emergency liver transplant, but unfortunately died 2 weeks later.
“The safety of college athletes must always be of the utmost importance, and we cannot neglect that these students are someone’s children. As all parents can relate to, the well-being of our children will always be a constant worry as they venture on to become young adults,” said Congressman Mfume. “I hold a special place in my heart for all student athletes and feel as though we have not been as attentive to their vulnerabilities as we ought to be. We can, and should, do more as a society for student athletes other than just cheer them on from the stands. This legislation, honoring Jordan’s story, is my effort to give parents and players alike the peace of mind that their health is accounted for during their journey in collegiate sports,” he concluded.
“Jordan McNair’s death was avoidable. We owe it to him and his family to do everything we can to ensure such a tragedy is not repeated,” said Senator Cardin. “Awareness of the warning signs, coupled with strong and consistent emergency procedures are important for keeping our student-athletes healthy, especially in extreme temperatures. I thank the McNair family for channeling the pain of their loss into a mission to help coaches, student athletes, and parents identify symptoms of heatstroke and heat-related illnesses. The University of Maryland has taken important steps in line with this legislation, and we want to ensure that other athletic programs do the same.”
“The loss that Jordan McNair’s family has endured will never fully heal, but we salute their efforts to prevent another family from suffering a similar a tragedy. This bill will honor Jordan’s memory by preparing college and university athletic programs to effectively recognize and address heat-related illness. I’m thankful for the McNair family’s work to turn their pain into purpose, and I stand by them in their efforts to improve student athletes’ health,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, who is an original cosponsor of the U.S. Senate version of this bill.
“I strongly support the introduction of the Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act primarily to help improve player safety at the collegiate level of competition from this 100 percent preventable injury,” said Martin McNair, Founder of The Jordan McNair Foundation and father of Jordan McNair.
“National Athletic Trainers Association is thrilled to endorse this bill and salutes Congressman Mfume’s efforts to protect America’s student athletes. As the first line of defense in athlete safety, athletic trainers recognize the importance and seriousness of heat-related issues. Unfortunately, not all athletes have access to these healthcare professionals. But in their absence, implementing these protocols will help to save lives,” said National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) President Kathy Dieringer, EdD, LAT, ATC.
An investigation conducted immediately after Jordan McNair’s death showed the athletic staff did not take aggressive measures to lower his body temperature.
Congressman Mfume’s Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act will ensure college athletic programs have heat emergency plans in action as well as cold-water immersion equipment so preventable tragedies like Jordan’s and the story of so many other student athletes won’t happen again. His legislation is endorsed by The Jordan McNair Foundation and the National Athletic Trainers Association.
More Information on Jordan McNair
- Jordan McNair was a freshman offensive lineman on the University of Maryland’s football team in 2018. On May 29, 2018, McNair was taking a conditioning test that required 10 sets of 110-yard sprints. McNair appeared to show signs of exhaustion during the sets of sprints. McNair collapsed and was taken to the hospital before passing two weeks later due to exertional heatstroke.
- McNair was demonstrating signs of an exertional heatstroke before he completed the sprints, but was not treated with the care required to save his life. An hour passed before a trainer called 911, even after he initially started showing symptoms.
- Some report that University staff failed to see initial signs that McNair was suffering from a heat illness and not being treated properly. Those reports also suggest staff did not check his core temperature, did not have proper cooling devices, and did not give emergency responders suitable directions to their location.
- Dr. Rod Walters, a former college athletic trainer and a sports medicine consultant, led an investigation launched by the University. He concluded there was roughly 1 hour, 39 minutes between when McNair collapsed and the departure of his ambulance from campus.
- The University of Maryland has taken subsequent steps to prevent and treat heat-related injuries among their student athletes: making cold water immersion tubs available at every practice and game, installing and maintaining readily accessible automatic defibrillators in every venue, increasing the number of doctors and trainers at practices and games, providing more recovery breaks, and increasing the training and reporting structure of athletic trainers, among other reforms in line with the priorities of this legislation.
More Information on the Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act
- The bill requires institutions of higher education participating in an athletic association or athletic conference to develop, implement, distribute, and rehearse venue-specific heat illness emergency action plans (EAP) prior to in-person practice annually.
- Additionally, the EAP must be developed in consultation with local emergency responders and must include a plan for the operation and use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and cold water immersion equipment.
- Additionally, the measure:
- Requires the heat illness EAP to be made available on the University athletic program’s website and shared with local emergency responders;
- Requires the physical posting of a symptom identification structure and a coordination of care plan for student athletes exhibiting signs of heat illness on locker rooms, athletic training facilities, weight rooms, outdoor sports complexes and stadiums;
- Requires institutions of higher education to submit a report to the Secretary of Education demonstrating compliance;
- Recommends AED best practice mechanisms for the location of AEDs;
- Recommends guidelines formulated by the Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature index; and
- Authorizes adjustments to the heat illness EAP in light of any construction that may affect implementation.
