Korey Stringer

Korey Stringer arrived at the hospital with a body temp of 108. The type of heat that his body and the weather generated, basically cooked his organs and he died when they failed.

Since Stringer's death, a lot has changed.

Professional teams looked almost immediately at their legal liability. Hard to feel great about that, but it is what gets people's attention. Creating an unsafe work (or school) environment? You are liable, but OSHA really limits just what you are liable for and in what situations. Once the NFL realized they could not completely skirt this liability (like they are trying to do with CTE), they began to make changes. Some quick, but often slowly.

The NFL began to realize the players are the product. If you are a team that is losing star players to death and injury, you won't be competitive. Again, not great to think of people this way, but welcome to sports entertainment.

It was ridiculous, obscene, and negligent that NFL teams were putting players through the kinds of training camps they historically conducted. Stringer was probably 350 pounds, with his helmet, full gear weighing 30 pounds, and practicing in deadly heat conditions. If you visit camps today, you will see a massive focus on how to best train the players safely. That is directly related to Korey Stringer's death and may be his legacy.

Globally you had professional sports looking at technology (wearable) and improved training techniques to protect players (assets). The NFL, along with other wealthy leagues, were the customers and funding became available like never before.

Not everything has changed, though. High Schools and College players still practice at risk in dangerous conditions.

First, many coaches and athletes don't pay enough attention to the humidity. They look mostly at the temp, but even 80 degrees can be deadly with high humidity, sun, and physical activity.

Second, it usually takes the death of someone to force changes. Cobb County in Georgia, after tje death of a high school player, require a device to gauge the combined dry air temperature, humidity, ground-radiated heat and wind speed. The device alerts coaches and staff of dangerous conditions.

Third, the mentality has not changed enough that pushing through training in heat makes you tough. It took decades to get it through coaches heads that water breaks don't make you weak (as they stood around in shorts with huge bellies). Players are still dying at the college and high school levels.

Vikings Response: I'm ashamed.

*Team implied Korey used a diet supplement containing ephedrine and that caused his death. Toxicology report revealed no evidence that was true.

*Korey's widow sued, but very powerful NFL lawyers even got immunity for the trainers.

*Korey died in 2001. Not until 2009 was any settlement reached.

It is common for very powerful people/companies to beat you in court with lawyers so that a precedence cannot be established. This was cruel to do to Korey's widow and family. Ask Randy Moss how he feels about what happened here. There was a settlement (as is usual) that was sealed.