Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Eager to Put Tragedy Behind Them, Move Forward
8/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug 17, 2001
By NANCY ARMOUR
AP Sports Writer
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - As Northwestern gathered as a team for the first time since Rashidi Wheeler died, senior linebacker Kevin Bentley wondered what he'd find.
Would his teammates still be distraught, struggling to understand how a 22-year-old could collapse and die during a conditioning drill? Or would they be happy to be together again, eager to move forward in the comfort of football?
"To see that everyone was on the same page was a huge step," Bentley said Thursday before the Wildcats left for training camp in Kenosha, Wis.
"Either we're going to hit Kenosha on the ground running or we're going to hit Kenosha trying to pull ourselves back together as a team," Bentley said. "And now that I think we're together as a team, we can hit the ground running."
Wheeler, a chronic asthmatic, died Aug. 3 after collapsing during a preseason conditioning drill. Bronchial asthma was the cause of death, according to the Cook County coroner's office.
But even as they move forward, the players know Wheeler's death will follow them the entire season. Investigations into Wheeler's death by his family and the university are ongoing, and every player was asked Thursday about the grueling conditioning drills they endure.
Wheeler collapsed during a conditioning drill that called for 28 sprints, ranging from 100 yards to 40 yards, with short recovery periods in between. Coach Randy Walker has agreed not to use the drill until the university review is finished, but he defended his coaching methods.
"It's been difficult not to respond," Walker said. "I have a lot of confidence, I have a lot of belief in what I am and what I do. But that's the right thing to do right now. Let's let the review take its course, let's find out some answers and go from there."
And Walker's players are standing by their coach and his practices.
It wasn't the conditioning drill that killed Wheeler, linebacker Billy Silva said.
"This was a tragedy, nothing more," he said. "I could be walking down the street and get hit by car and killed. I could die in a plane crash."
The Northwestern players don't dispute the conditioning drills are tough. But it was those drills that helped them go from last place in the Big Ten to a share of the conference title last season.
"I don't feel the workouts are that strenuous," linebacker Napoleon Harris said. "I think the things that coach Walker has done are great. We went from 3-8 to being Big Ten champions. How can you question those results?"
While the investigations play out, the Wildcats are eager to finally be able to focus on football. After spending much of the last two weeks mourning, they'll exorcise their grief in workouts, drills and games.
It may be a simplistic way of dealing with a tragedy, but it's what they know.
"Nobody knows how to handle situations like this very well, but the one thing we know how to do is play football," quarterback Zak Kustok said. "We're going to use this as an inspiration because we know he's going to be with us."
This is what Wheeler's family wants, too, Bentley said.
"His family wished us well, saying you've got to get your minds right and get ready for camp," Bentley said.
Northwestern announced Thursday it will retire Wheeler's No. 30, a first at the school. Though Bentley initially planned to wear Wheeler's number this season, the team decided it was better to honor Wheeler right away.
The team also will wear patches on their jersey for Wheeler.
"The love we feel for one another gives us the chance to deal with the loss, just like anyone in any family deals with a loss," Walker said. "It's never easy. To say that it is would be an understatement.
"The thing that's always been important in life is that you get up the next day and you play the next play. Football teaches that more than anything."
