AT least three football players in Oregon, the United States, are listed in fair condition at a hospital just outside Eugene and have been there since late last week.

    The three Ducks players are offensive linemen Doug Brenner and Sam Poutasi and tight end Cam McCormick.

    Poutasi’s mother told The Oregonian on Monday her son has been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.

    Poutasi’s mother, Oloka, said that her son complained of very sore arms after the workouts and had been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a syndrome in which soft muscle tissue is broken down with “leakage into the blood stream of muscle contents.”

    Depending on the severity, it has the potential to lead to damaged kidneys.

    Oregon players, who have been under the guidance of new head coach Willie Taggart for just over a month, continued to participate in the same workouts this week. Those workouts have been compared to basic military training, including “up to an hour of continuous push-ups and up-downs.”

    Sources said that some players “passed out” and others later complained of discolored urine, which is a common symptom of rhabdomyolysis.

    After testing, others were found to have highly elevated levels of creatine kinase, an indicator of the syndrome.

    Similarly in 2011, 13 Iowa players were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis after intense winter workouts.

    One of those players, cornerback William Lowe, sued the school, saying he incurred lasting harm. Lowe and the university reached a US$15,000 settlement in 2016.

    (SD-Agencies)