Kent State incoming freshman offensive lineman Tyler Heintz died at a hospital Tuesday after the team’s conditioning drills.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning and the cause of death hasn’t been determined, according to a statement from the school:
“Today, the Kent State University family mourns the tragic loss of one of our student-athletes, freshman football player Tyler Heintz. Tyler was transported to a local hospital by paramedics this morning following football conditioning drills at Dix Stadium. The cause of death is not yet known.
Tyler was from Kenton, Ohio, and planned to study marketing and entrepreneurship in the College of Business Administration. Tyler was recruited as a rising star on our offensive line.
Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Tyler’s family and friends, as well as Coach Haynes and the team, our athletics staff and our student-athletes.”
The Record Courier reported the 19-year-old was pronounced dead at 11:34 am, two hours after firefighters were called to an incident at Dix Stadium at 9:18 am. When firefighters arrived at the stadium, Heintz was unresponsive.
“The post-mortem is just one piece of the puzzle,” Dr. Dean DePerro, Portage County Coroner said.
The freshman was on campus for summer classes and workouts and was scheduled to make his debut in the fall. While this may not be the exact reason why Heintz passed, one has to wonder if the transition from high school to college could be a factor. Heintz was in high school just weeks ago and is now being asked to workout at a collegiate level months before the season is even scheduled to begin.
Regardless of whether or not that may have been a factor, the news is really tough and sad for the entire Kent State community.
https://twitter.com/coachcrum/status/874759857911599104
God Bless his family first and foremost. Give them clarity and peace. God bless the Kent State football team and all associated. Tough day.
— Casey Pierce (@CPierce_7) June 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/ShaunCrawf20/status/874807977546567680
https://twitter.com/MJTrey4/status/874808524831961089
https://twitter.com/DanOswald_21/status/874818432734253057
https://twitter.com/Mr_Football10/status/874821699421777920
Our hearts go out to Kent State football and the entire Kent State community.
— Michael Alford (@SeminoleAlford) June 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/Kay_BlackSimba/status/874821391694131200
Our thoughts and prayers are with @KentStFootball and the Heintz family. https://t.co/X9iYTXNIUp
— Western Michigan Football (@WMU_Football) June 14, 2017
This happens after Northern Michigan sophomore offensive lineman Anthony Herbet passed away shortly after morning workouts in January.
