After the game, Niner passes away.
Relieved colleagues of the San Francisco 49ers anxiously awaited information on Sunday regarding the reason of offensive tackle Thomas Herrion’s collapse in the locker room, which led to his death immediately after a Denver Broncos exhibition game.
Following the game on a comparatively cold Saturday night, coach Mike Nolan addressed his players, which is when the 23-year-old guard fell apart.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound athlete received CPR from medical professionals before being transported to a Denver hospital in an ambulance.
According to 49ers defensive lineman Marques Douglas, “We didn’t see anything happen.” “I prayed for him while I sat by my locker.”
The coroner’s office stated that no details regarding Herrion’s cause of death will be made public before Sunday afternoon.
Relieved colleagues of the San Francisco 49ers anxiously awaited information on Sunday regarding the reason of offensive tackle Thomas Herrion’s collapse in the locker room, which led to his death immediately after a Denver Broncos exhibition game.
Following the game on a comparatively cold Saturday night, coach Mike Nolan addressed his players, which is when the 23-year-old guard fell apart.
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound athlete received CPR from medical professionals before being transported to a Denver hospital in an ambulance.
According to 49ers defensive lineman Marques Douglas, “We didn’t see anything happen.” “I prayed for him while I sat by my locker.”
The coroner’s office stated that no details regarding Herrion’s cause of death will be made public before Sunday afternoon.
Salkin said coaches notified players of the death at the airport, where the team was awaiting a flight back to California.
Nolan made no comments about San Francisco’s 26-21 loss to the Broncos.
The death comes a little more than four years after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke during a training camp practice when the heat index soared to 110.
NFL teams since have increased efforts to teach players about how to manage the heat. On Saturday night, temperatures in Denver’s thin air were in the mid-60s with 50 percent humidity, although experts say heatstroke can happen even in cool weather.
In 1979, St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain died of a heart attack during training camp. Chuck Hughes, a Detroit Lions wide receiver, died of a heart attack during a 1971 game in Detroit against the Chicago Bears. In April, Arena Football League player Al Lucas of the Los Angeles Avengers died of a spinal-cord injury after making a tackle.
Herrion, a first-year player with the 49ers, spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.
Herrion played in junior college at Kilgore College in East Texas. Travis Fox, the offensive coordinator at Kilgore, said Sunday he shared an apartment with Herrion for two weeks this summer. Herrion had returned to the school to get in shape before reporting to the 49ers.
Fox said Herrion never struggled during intense drills in 97-degree heat. He added that the lineman had no injuries or health problems while playing at Kilgore.
“The young man was in shape,” he said.
Herrion’s nicknames at Kilgore were “Train” and “Big T.” Fox said he was called “Thunder” in Germany because his head was too big for a regular helmet.
Fox said Herrion always talked about his niece, and family was a big motivation for playing.
“When he got here,” Fox recalled, “the first thing he told me was, ‘I’m going to make this team and buy my mom a nice house.”‘
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