Cal Reaches $4.75 Million Settlement In Football Player's Death
BERKELEY (CBS SF) – The University of California has reached a $4.75 million settlement with the family of a football player who died following an off-season conditioning drill and has agreed to modify its football training program.
Ted Agu collapsed and died after experiencing breathing problems during a training run in Feb. 2014.
Agu's family sued the university claiming he should never have been subjected to such a drill because he carried the sickle cell trait.
The team and its doctors were aware of Agu's condition at the time of his death.
"It was no ordinary workout. It was an extraordinary workout they'd never done before," Agu family attorney Steven Yerrid said at the time the suit was filed. "This kid had sickle cell trait. It was the last thing he should have been required to do."
The settlement between the family and university comes nearly three months after Cal admitted liability for the death.
UC attorneys filed court papers saying negligence by Cal officials was "a substantial factor" in leading to Agu's death.
"The University is glad to have reached a resolution with the Agu family, as it has been a difficult process for everyone involved," Dan Mogulof, a UC Berkeley spokesman, said in a statement.
The settlement also guarantees that a memorial display honoring Agu in the Cal football team's home locker room will be permanently kept in place.