The Kent State University football coach who was running drills when a student-athlete collapsed and died in June has been fired.
According to a Kent State spokesperson, strength and conditioning coach Ross Bowsher provided false information about his certification.
CBS Sports was the first to report that Bowsher was unable to produce any official documents showing certification, which is required by the university and the NCAA.
Tyler Heintz collapsed at practice on June 13 and was taken to UH Portage Medical Center where he later died.
The Portage County Coroner's Office said Heintz likely died as a result of hyperthermia, or a high body temperature.
According to a Kent State spokesperson, an internal review found that, despite the coach's lack of certification, "the workout was conducted in accordance with national protocols for student-athlete health and safety, and the session was supervised appropriately by qualified personnel."
Read the full statement from Kent State below:
The safety and well-being of our student-athletes is paramount at Kent State University, and we have continued to assess and review all policies and circumstances relative to the June 13 summer football workout that occurred prior to the death of Tyler Heintz. We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler, and the Kent State family is focused on joining with the Heintz family in honoring his memory in our thoughts and actions.
The university has concluded its internal review of the matter, and our findings indicate that the workout was conducted in accordance with national protocols for student-athlete health and safety, and the session was supervised appropriately by qualified personnel. Present at the June 13 football workout were five certified personnel who participated in the design, implementation and supervision of the 20 student-athletes.
During the course of the review, it was discovered that football strength and conditioning coach Ross Bowsher provided false information about his certification, which is required by the university and the NCAA. Mr. Bowsher has been dismissed from the university, and we are self-reporting this decision to the NCAA.
