Oregon football players hospitalized after intense workout

Three Oregon football players were hospitalized after participating in what several sources told The Oregonian were "military style basic training" strength and conditioning workouts last week in Eugene, Ore.

Ducks tight end Cam McCormick and offensive linemen Doug Brenner and Sam Poutasi were admitted Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend in Springfield, Ore. late last week and are in fair condition, a hospital spokesperson told the newspaper.

Poutasi's mother told The Oregonian her son has been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which skeletal muscle rapidly breaks down and can leak into the blood stream.

The workouts purportedly included up to one hour of continuous push-ups and up-downs. An Oregon official disputed a report that one player passed out, saying they were not aware of any players fainting.

The Oregonian reports several other Oregon players had discolored urine, and some were found to have high levels of creatine kinase, both common symptom of rhabdomyolysis.

"The safety and welfare of all of our student-athletes is paramount in all that we do," the school said in a statement. "While we cannot comment on the health of our individual students, we have implemented modifications as we transition back into full training to prevent further occurrences."

Newly-hired Ducks coach Willie Taggart reportedly visited with the sickened players in the hospital.

Oregon cornerback Ugochukwu Amadi took to social media to downplay the severity of the workouts.

"The workout was not even what the media is portraying it to be," the junior reportedly wrote on his Twitter account.

Oregon (4-8) missed a bowl game for the first time since 2004 this season, resulting in the firing of fourth-year coach Mark Helfrich. The Ducks were tied for the second-worst record in the Pac-12, behind only Arizona (3-9).