5 college basketball players hospitalized after rigorous workout; head coach temporarily removed: report

Concordia University Chicago postponed two games this week

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Five members of the Concordia University Chicago men's basketball team were sent to a hospital after an intense workout at practice Dec. 31, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The rigorous activity was widely considered a punishment for members of the team violating curfew during a road trip to California, according to Pete Gnan, the school's athletic director.

In this March 18, 2015, file photo, the NCAA logo is displayed at center court as work continues at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for the NCAA basketball tournament. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

The hospitalizations were enough for the school to temporarily remove head coach Steve Kollar from his duties. Kollar is the defending Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.

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The NCAA logo on the 2023 Division I Men's basketball national championship trophy on display prior to a basketball game between the Maine Black Bears and the Brown Bears Nov. 27, 2022, at Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, R.I. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Tribune reports that players were asked to go to the emergency room if they were experiencing symptoms related to rhabdomyolysis, a condition where broken-down muscle fibers leak throughout the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can be caused by physical exertion and become life-threatening.

The Division III school postponed two games this week.