A few days ago, Bev posted a football-related blog. Now here's another. This one, though, is decidedly less uplifting. In fact, it's the kind of story you file under 'What Went Wrong?' Takirra La'Fee "TT" Koonce (28), a promising young semi-pro footballer for the New Bern Grizzlies of North Carolina, died suddenly on the playing field in the middle of a game. His death occurred on the Saturday before last (July 14). Teammates and a medic tried unsuccessfully to revive him until an ambulance arrived. It is not known whether or not a blood sugar test was administered to Koonce, who was diabetic, or whether he was given anything to correct hypoglycemia.

Doctors say the cause of Koonce's death probably won't be revealed for four to six months due to a lab backlog. (Outrageous!) However, according to a report in local newspaper, the New Bern Sun Journal, Koonce's dad says his son's diabetes killed him. What's really unusual is that the dad, Cleveland Ballard, is holding the team's managers to blame for the tragedy. Ballard says his son was insulin dependent and was not managing his condition well. "He shouldn't have been running in the heat," said Ballard. "If they did a physical he would not have been there, they would not have let him play."

However, it looks like the Grizzlies are in the clear on this one: an official for the Minor League said Koonce had signed a waiver to play in lieu of taking a physical. Even so, it sure raises an interesting question: if an adult sportsman goes out on the field, does the team management share responsibility if anything happens? Should the managers insist on routine physicals?