Concordia says it will need more time to investigate after basketball players were hospitalized
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Five local college basketball players were hospitalized and three were games postponed recently.
What's next for the future of Concordia University Chicago's basketball program?
Late Monday, Concordia said it needs more time to investigate the high-intensity workout that sent the five basketball players to the hospital. During a Zoom meeting Monday night, the school said it expects a decision in about a week.
CBS 2 first broke the story of the controversy at Concordia on Friday.
Following the hospitalizations, the school temporarily removed Head Coach Steeve Kollar. The school investigating allegations is that he might have retaliated against players after they missed team curfew.
But as CBS 2's Sara Machi reported Monday, at least some threw their support behind Kollar.
Monday marked the first day of classes for Concordia students, and week since the first of five Concordia Cougars was hospitalized.
That group that includes senior guard Brent Hatten. His diagnosis was lactic acidosis and rhabdomyolysis, often attributed to physical overexertion.
"Brent loves the players and the program, so we'll just have to wait and see," said Hatten's father, Alan Hatten
Alan Hatten said he has heard from other parents.
"All the parents that I have talked to, and players, are still behind the coach," he said.
CBS 2 reached Kollar at his home, which appears under construction, when we first heard of the allegations Thursday. Concerns were acknowledged in an email to parents that night.
"Amid the already stressful and exhausting week, Saturday's practice represented a particularly high-intensity, collegiate-level circuit training, it has been alleged by some that the intensity and difficulty of Saturday's practice was a direct consequence of the broken curfew earlier in the week," the email read.
Hatten said his son was healing from an injury the last time they took the court, on Dec. 29 in the Los Angeles area. And now he waits to find out if it's the last time his son plays for Coach Kollar.
"He's been great. I mean, he has been good to us every time we are there. He comes and speaks to us. We have a very good relationship," said Alan Hatten.
CBS 2 reached out to Concordia staff, but we have not back. The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) said it hopes to have a medical update soon and there have been no decisions on how to handle postponed games.
In a statement, Commissioner Jeff Lingney said: "We hope to have a medical update on the team's status soon. No decisions have been made yet on the postponed games. We are waiting until we know the extent of how many games will be postponed."
The team has already missed two games and has also now postponed a third game, which was supposed to take place Tuesday night.
