The freshman, whose name has not been released, collapsed during a preseason workout Tuesday.
An 18-year-old University of Maine football player collapsed and died during a preseason workout on campus Tuesday afternoon.
The freshman collapsed on the field just after 1 p.m. Neither members of the UMaine training staff nor local first responders were able to resuscitate him.
The school said the name of the student-athlete is being withheld until the family can be notified.
“The athletics department, our student-athletes and the entire campus mourn the loss of this bright and promising member of our community,” said UMaine president Joan Ferrini-Mundy in a statement. “We ask all to keep him, his family and his friends in your thoughts through this painful time.”
UMaine athletic director Jim Settele added, “UMaine athletics is devastated by this terrible accident. We extend our deepest condolences to the family during this difficult time and ask that their privacy be respected.”
There are 32 freshmen listed on Maine’s football roster.
The Black Bears are scheduled to open training camp on Aug. 1. Players often hold unofficial workouts together during the summer to improve their skills and timing.
Head coach Joe Harasymiak was in Baltimore, along with two players, for the annual Colonial Athletic Association Media Day on Tuesday.
Walter Abbott, a former UMaine football coach and athletic director, said he did not recall another death among the football team “dating back to the 1950s.” He could not recall it happening at any of the other Maine colleges with football programs.
From 2000-2016, an average of two NCAA players died per season, according to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Twenty-seven of the 33 deaths during those years were nontraumatic, meaning that did not involve contact or collision during a game or practice.
UMaine spokeswoman Margaret Nagle said the university would have no other statement until the student’s family is notified.
This story will be updated.
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