The University of California agreed to pay $4.75 million to settle a lawsuit brought against it by the family of Cal football player Ted Agu after he died when the team took part in a training session, as first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The settlement comes three months after the university admitted that its negligence was a significant factor in Agu’s death. The settlement provides monetary compensation to Agu’s family and requires various safety reforms for Cal Athletics, including a stipulation that coaches will not be able to use “high risk physical activity” as a punishment, according to the Chronicle.
“The University is glad to have reached a resolution with the Agu family, as it has been a difficult process for everyone involved,” said UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof. “Now UC Berkeley can continue to focus its energies on enhancing the safety and well-being of student-athletes.”
Agu died Feb. 7, 2014, and had the sickle cell trait. The medical examiner initially identified his collapse after partaking in the drill as a heart condition problem, but later the death was ruled to be associated with his sickle cell trait.
“On behalf of the family, we are pleased that Cal has accepted responsibility, monetarily acknowledged the enormity of the loss suffered, and taken critically important reforms aimed at preventing these tragedies from occurring to others,” said Steve Yerrid, an attorney for the Agu family, in a statement.
The campus has implemented new protocols since Agu’s death, such as ceasing the use of “high-risk physical activity” as a form of punishment.
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Suhauna Hussain is the university news editor. Contact her at shussain@dailycal.org and follow her on Twitter at @suhaunah.