The Guardian
· collected 2026-09-18 · by Martin McNair with Simon Fitzgerald
The mother of Jordan McNair, who died from exertional heatstroke in 2018 during a college football practice at the University of Maryland, reflects on the preventable nature of her son’s death and the importance of better safety measures in sports. She emphasizes that she should have asked more critical questions about emergency protocols when her son was signing with the university. McNair’s case highlights the urgent need for proper education, immediate medical response, and preventive strategies to protect athletes from heat-related injuries.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Late last month, Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during a team workout.
asserted
Mayich → collapse → workout
He is now fighting for his life after suffering from exertional heatstroke and, according to the Mayich family attorney, is unlikely to make a meaningful recovery.
uncertain
He → fight → recovery
This young man was drafted by the St Louis Blues but will never get the opportunity to play in the NHL.
asserted
man → draft → NHL
While he is not the first young athlete severely harmed by heat-related illness in American sports, he should be the last.
asserted
he → harm → sports
I have learned more about this preventable injury than I ever wanted to know.
asserted
I → learn → injury
On 29 May 2018, my son Jordan McNair collapsed during a strenuous football practice at the University of Maryland.
uncertain
son → collapse → Maryland
By the time he arrived at the hospital, he was dangerously overheated and never recovered.
asserted
he → arrive → hospital
For two weeks, as Jordan fought for his life through intensive care and an emergency liver transplant, one question kept coming: “What did we miss?”
asserted
we → fight → What
I think about the days before he signed with Maryland, when coaches sat at our kitchen table talking with our family about Jordan.
asserted
coaches → think → Jordan
I remember asking two questions:
“Can Jordan get some playing time?”
asserted
Jordan → ask → time
And, “What support do you have around mental health and substance abuse?
asserted
you → have → health
Those are the kind of questions many parents ask when they have never experienced a life-changing tragedy in collegiate sports.
asserted
they → ask → sports
Jordan was going to play football at a Big Ten university.
asserted
Jordan → go → university
What could possibly go wrong?
uncertain
What → go → ?
I didn’t ask:
“If something happens to my son, what safety systems do you have in place?”
“What is your emergency action plan?”
“When was the last time you practiced it?”
“Who has the authority to stop a workout when an athlete is in medical distress?”
“What happens if my child suffers exertional heatstroke?”
“Where is the equipment needed to save his life?”
Those questions came in hindsight, as I walked toward the ICU every day while Jordan fought for his life.
asserted
Jordan → ask → life
I kept asking myself:
“What did I miss that night at the kitchen table?”
Before Jordan collapsed, I thought heatstroke and heat exhaustion were one and the same.
asserted
heatstroke → ask → table
I thought if someone became overheated, you moved them into the shade, gave them water, let them cool down, and everything would be fine.
asserted
everything → think → water
I didn’t know a heat-related injury could kill my son.
uncertain
injury → know → son
My education came through a baptism by fire.
asserted
education → come → fire
Suddenly, as the Mayich family may be learning now, I had to understand medical terms I had never heard before: rhabdomyolysis.
uncertain
I → learn → terms
Since Jordan’s death, I’ve worked alongside medical professionals to cool athletes experiencing exertional heat illness at sporting events across the nation.
asserted
I → work → nation
I’ve seen first-hand how quickly proper recognition and response can change an outcome.
asserted
recognition → see → outcome
One of the simplest explanations of exertional heatstroke has stayed with me.
asserted
One → stay → me
When your core body temperature rises above 104F (40C), it is like putting your body inside a microwave.
asserted
it → rise → microwave
Your organs begin to cook.
asserted
organs → begin → ?
Cold-water immersion can bring the body’s temperature down before the damage becomes irreversible.
asserted
damage → bring → temperature
But what happened to Jordan wasn’t only about what went wrong on the football field on 29 May 2018.
uncertain
what → happen → May
What happened to Mayich in Arizona isn’t only about what happened on 20 August 2026.
asserted
what → happen → August
The tragedy began long before.
asserted
tragedy → begin → ?
Every organization has layers of protection, and every layer can have weaknesses, the holes in the Swiss Cheese Model.
asserted
layer → have → Model
One hole may not cause disaster because another layer can stop it.
uncertain
layer → cause → it
But when enough holes align, nothing remains between the athlete and tragedy.
asserted
nothing → align → athlete
But having an emergency action plan on paper and being prepared to execute it are two very different things.
asserted
having → have → it
Imagine having a fire evacuation plan nobody ever practices.
asserted
nobody → imagine → plan
Then one day the building catches fire.
asserted
building → catch → fire
Who knows where to go, what to do, who calls 911 and who gets people out?
asserted
who → know → people
The middle of the fire is the worst possible time to figure out the plan.
asserted
middle → figure → plan
Every time an athlete steps on to a field, court, track or practice facility, an emergency is possible.
asserted
emergency → step → field
The systems designed to protect that athlete must be in place before it happens, and the people responsible for those systems must know exactly what to do.
asserted
people → design → what
I used to say Murphy’s law was in full effect the day Jordan collapsed.
asserted
Jordan → use → effect
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
