Court Denies Appeal by Wheeler’s Mother

An appeal to stop a $16-million settlement in the death of Northwestern football player Rashidi Wheeler has been denied by an Illinois appellate court, prompting a harsh response from the player’s mother.

“I’m fighting for my right to exist; [the courts] act like myself and Rashidi’s brothers don’t have a vote in this,” Linda Will, Wheeler’s mother, said Thursday. “Northwestern has already killed my child. I won’t let [the courts] kill his case because Northwestern has enough money to buy out the system.”

Will appealed in an attempt to force a jury trial, which she says will expose more details about her son’s death. But Northwestern’s settlement offer has been approved by her former husband and a court-appointed guardian representing three minors in Wheeler’s six-person estate.

Wheeler, a La Verne Damien High graduate, collapsed and died Aug. 3, 2001, while running timed wind sprints on a practice field. The Cook County (Ill.) coroner identified the cause of death as exercise-induced bronchial asthma, but Will claims that the school was negligent in its treatment of her son.

In agreeing to the settlement, Northwestern did not accept responsibility for Wheeler’s death, which university attorneys attribute to his use of tablets and a drink mix containing the stimulant ephedra, which has since been banned by the Food and Drug Administration. Denison Weaver, Will’s attorney, said he would continue to appeal.

-- Lance Pugmire