UCF Being Sued In Football Player Death

On Tuesday, March 18, members of the University of Central Florida football team begin an hour-long weightlifting session on the first workout after spring break.

What happened over the next thirty minutes is disputed but the result was the same - Ereck Plancher collapsed and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 11:51

Ereck Plancher would have been a redshirt freshman for Central Florida this season. The circumstances surrounding his death in March are still at issue.

Ereck's death has brought into question the school's handling of the situation before, during and after his collapse. His parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit to get to the bottom of their tragedy. Was the school at fault? It is yet to be determined.

However, coaches and trainer for UCF knew of Ereck's condition, sickle-cell trait, that can restrict blood flow to vital parts of the body and cause serious problems during high-intensity workouts.

According to sources, the trainers may not have intimated by the coaching staff not to interfere when the first signs of his stress where noticed. Some of his former teammates were afraid to discuss the matter, fearing their scholarships may be revoked.

In addition, former teammate James Jamison stated that UCF Coach O'Leary, verbally cussed Ereck when he was unable to do jumping jacks after running two sprints from sideline to sideline.

The coaching staff says it was not a rigorous workout but some players disagreed completely.

Two former players who participated in the workout agreed to speak to "Outside the Lines" on the record, though reluctantly:

• The school did not begin interviewing players about the incident until more than a month after it happened; even then, some players with relevant information were never questioned.

"They never tell us really how he died," Plancher's Haitian-born father, Enock, says. "They only tell us he collapse and died. That's all they tell us."

On July 17, the Orange County Medical Examiner released its final autopsy report. It stated that Ereck's death was linked to sickle-cell trait, which "predisposed him to sickling of the red blood cells during periods of physical stress." Two weeks later, the Planchers informed the school of their intent to sue, alleging Ereck "experienced exhaustion, dizziness, shortness of breath, and other signs of extreme fatigue that were ignored by trainers and/or coaches of the University of Central Florida." The Planchers say they hope to prevent other families from confronting the same pain they have endured.

Shortly after Plancher's death, O'Leary told his players to avoid talking to the media about the incident, according to Jamison, Reams, other former players and one current player who requested anonymity. UCF employs a document titled "Catastrophic Incident Guideline," which lays out actions to be taken in the wake of an athlete's death or severe injury. Regarding responsibilities of various personnel, it calls on the head coach to "encourage other student-athletes to not discuss the incident."

Now, with the lawsuit filed, coaches, players and trainers are reluctant to talk due to recommendation from legal advisers.