Agent, Family Vow to ‘Get to Bottom’ of Stringer’s Death

Almost a week after Minnesota Viking Coach Dennis Green called the heatstroke death of tackle Korey Stringer unexplainable, the player’s agent said he and Stringer’s family are determined to find explanations.

“We feel and continue to feel that these are preventable things,” Stringer’s agent, James Gould, said Tuesday from his Cincinnati office.

“They can’t happen, they shouldn’t happen. Trust me, we will get to the bottom of it. [But] we aren’t going to lay the blame at anybody’s feet today. We want to wait until all the facts have been gathered and we can digest them.”

The results of Stringer’s autopsy will not be known until toxicology tests are completed, Gould said. Only then will the family decide whether to share findings with the public.

“We have decided as a family, with me representing them, not to comment on anything prior to his death that led up to his death,” said Gould, a speaker Monday at Stringer’s funeral in Warren, Ohio.

“We just put him in God’s arms. We’re reeling from so many different things.”

Asked if the family was considering legal action, he said, “That’s not even on the radar screen right now.”

The Vikings practiced in pads Tuesday for the first time since their Pro Bowl tackle died last Wednesday. Players said the heat and humidity during the morning practice were even more stifling than they were the day Stringer collapsed. By afternoon, the heat index soared to 109.

The morning practice lasted 95 minutes--50 minutes shorter than scheduled--and only special-teams players participated in the afternoon session, working out in shorts and T-shirts.

“Today was a lot hotter than last Tuesday--I mean a lot hotter,” receiver Cris Carter said. “But we question ourselves. What’s too far? I think athletes all around the country given what has happened, not only with Big K but with other athletes who have passed away or had problems with the heat, I think it’s in the back of their minds.

“I’m out there running today and it’s hard to breathe. In the back of my mind, I’m still saying, ‘OK, push yourself, Cris.’ But what is too far? That’s the human side of things.”

Meantime, a day after two Indianapolis Colts were helped off the field at the team’s training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., because of heat-related problems, starting tackle Adam Meadows left practice early Tuesday for the same reason.

He returned to practice later.

Rookie offensive lineman Ryan Diem and second-year defensive tackle Josh Williams were taken off the field on golf carts Monday, shortly before practice ended, and were treated at the training camp facility.

Diem worked out Tuesday morning in place of guard Larry Moore, who has a sprained knee. Williams did not practice Tuesday morning, but returned at night.

In Bethlehem, Pa., an Eagle practice was shortened by 30 minutes because of excessive heat. Tackle Jon Runyan contracted a virus related to his dehydration Monday.

Tampa Bay’s Dauntae Finger, a rookie tight end, was released from the hospital after leaving practice a day earlier because of shortness of breath, lightheadedness and an irregular heartbeat.

There were no problems reported in Viking camp, where the mood was surprisingly light. During the break between practices, quarterback Daunte Culpepper, receiver Randy Moss and several others sat on couches in the lobby of the team dormitory and played video football games on two big-screen TVs.

In the hours after Stringer’s death, Moss tried to address reporters, then broke down in sobs and had to bend at the waist to regain his composure. He said Tuesday he’s ready to get back into his practice routine.

“We’ve had to go out there and mix things up a little bit just to make sure we put a little bit of humor back into it,” Moss said. “And of course, it was hard laying the Big Fella down yesterday. . . . We just wanted to show leadership.”

Guard Corbin Lacina recalled his final conversation with Stringer, which came on the practice field hours before Stringer died.

“Big K and me walked up the field together,” Lacina said. “He was right next to me and he turned back. I said, ‘Big K, you OK? You need me to get a trainer or anything?’ He was breathing a little heavy and it looked like something was going on. And he said, ‘No, man, I’m good. I’m good.’

“We walked off the field together. That was the last time I talked to him.”

Lacina said athletes are programmed throughout their careers to drink plenty of liquids but that he has been consuming more than normal lately. He drank about 80 ounces of Gatorade between morning and afternoon practices Monday.

“It crosses my mind when I’m out there, that I’ve got three kids, I’ve got a wife,” Lacina said. “You think about the true risks we take as professional athletes. There are some real, life-threatening risks out there. I’ve accepted it as our role, but now it hits home a little more.”

The team will honor Stringer in game programs and with uniform patches, and his locker won’t be used by any other player this season. No one will wear his No. 77 for an undetermined time.

The lessons learned in the wake of his death might provide a longer-lasting legacy.

“We’ll find out everything if we have to spend the rest of our lives doing it,” Gould said. “We owe it to Korey, and we owe it to the people who continue to play this game.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.