Northern Michigan Football Death: Player Might've Had Enlarged Heart

Anthony Herbert, a player on Northern Michigan University's football team, died Tuesday after being found unresponsive in his dorm room.

Herbert, a 20-year-old offensive lineman and construction management major, worked out with the football team Tuesday morning, then ate breakfast and returned to his dorm room where he experienced a medical emergency, CBS News reported. First responders were unable to resuscitate him.

As a 6-foot-4, 315-pound freshman, Herbert started at right guard in all 11 games during the football season and was named to the all-GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) academic team, according to MLive.com.

An autopsy was performed Tuesday, Herbert’s mother Lori shared on Facebook, and preliminary results showed the football player may have had an enlarged heart, a condition that was not previously known to his family, MLive reported.

An enlarged heart can be caused by a number of different conditions, both conditions that are inborn and those that develop after birth.

“What caused his passing is unknown at this time and right now our concern is for Anthony’s family, friends, teammates, coaches and team staff, teachers and fellow students,” University President Fritz Erikson said in a statement, according to MLive.

Counselors were on campus to help Herbert’s friends and teammates.

"In my brief time with Anthony, I could tell that he was a great young man," Northern Michigan's head football coach Kyle Nystrom said in a statement, MLive reported. "He was well-respected by his coaches and teammates and was a leader on the offensive line. We are devastated by this tragedy, and we are keeping his family in our prayers."

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