Lisa Salberg
11-02-2005, 07:40 AM
November 2, 2005 Wednesday
SECTION: C; Pg. 5
LENGTH: 531 words
HEADLINE: Autopsy reveals cause of Collier's death
BYLINE: By Charles Odum
BODY:
The Associated Press
DECATUR, Ga. -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died from a sudden heart
rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart, an autopsy showed.
The state's chief medical examiner, Dr. Kris Sperry, said Tuesday his testing
showed that electrocardiograms administered to Collier in 2003 and this year
showed "some indication of electrical abnormalities."
"Looking at them now, and in retrospect in knowing what's going on with his
heart, the abnormalities may have been associated with what we found in
examining his heart," Sperry said.
He said that he had no evidence that the 28-year-old Collier was informed
there was anything wrong with his heart. Collier's wife said he had never been
told of a reason for concern, Sperry said.
Collier's father, Jeff, had previously told The Associated Press that his son
did not have any diagnosed health problems before his death besides past
injuries to his knees. Reached at his Springfield, Ohio, home on Tuesday
evening, Jeff Collier said he's disappointed that the state released its
conclusions without first notifying him of the findings.
"I'm telling you I don't know anything about this," Collier said.
The 7-foot Collier, who played at Georgia Tech, was with the Hawks for two
years after spending three years with the Houston Rockets. He died after having
trouble breathing in his suburban Atlanta home.
Sperry indicated that the family has concerns about the medical tests in 2003
and 2005 and "when we get all the findings back I think the family will have
some of those examined in closer detail, based upon the results."
He said tissue and blood samples had been sent to the Mayo Clinic and Harvard
Medical School for further tests to determine whether Collier had hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, a congenital defect that can lead to an enlarged heart.
Sperry did not say that the Hawks or Rockets were negligent in clearing
Collier to play in the NBA.
He said an enlarged heart can be very difficult to detect, especially due to
Collier's size. But he said the player's heart "was above the accepted limits,
even for a man of his size."
He said the organ was about one and a half times the size it should have
been.
"We have the unfortunate advantage of taking the heart out and weighing it,"
Sperry said.
Sperry also said that the electrical abnormalities could have been a reason
for further testing.
"If it were me, I would have wanted more studies done to clarify what those
abnormalities meant in light of the fact Jason was an athlete," he said.
The autopsy was conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which
performs all Forsyth County autopsies, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.
The Hawks left Atlanta on Tuesday for Oakland, where they open their season
Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors.
The players are wearing black shoulder patches on their uniforms to honor
Collier, who was a part-time starter. He began his college career at Indiana
before transferring to Georgia Tech.
The Hawks will leave Collier's uniform in his locker through the season
SECTION: C; Pg. 5
LENGTH: 531 words
HEADLINE: Autopsy reveals cause of Collier's death
BYLINE: By Charles Odum
BODY:
The Associated Press
DECATUR, Ga. -- Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier died from a sudden heart
rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart, an autopsy showed.
The state's chief medical examiner, Dr. Kris Sperry, said Tuesday his testing
showed that electrocardiograms administered to Collier in 2003 and this year
showed "some indication of electrical abnormalities."
"Looking at them now, and in retrospect in knowing what's going on with his
heart, the abnormalities may have been associated with what we found in
examining his heart," Sperry said.
He said that he had no evidence that the 28-year-old Collier was informed
there was anything wrong with his heart. Collier's wife said he had never been
told of a reason for concern, Sperry said.
Collier's father, Jeff, had previously told The Associated Press that his son
did not have any diagnosed health problems before his death besides past
injuries to his knees. Reached at his Springfield, Ohio, home on Tuesday
evening, Jeff Collier said he's disappointed that the state released its
conclusions without first notifying him of the findings.
"I'm telling you I don't know anything about this," Collier said.
The 7-foot Collier, who played at Georgia Tech, was with the Hawks for two
years after spending three years with the Houston Rockets. He died after having
trouble breathing in his suburban Atlanta home.
Sperry indicated that the family has concerns about the medical tests in 2003
and 2005 and "when we get all the findings back I think the family will have
some of those examined in closer detail, based upon the results."
He said tissue and blood samples had been sent to the Mayo Clinic and Harvard
Medical School for further tests to determine whether Collier had hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy, a congenital defect that can lead to an enlarged heart.
Sperry did not say that the Hawks or Rockets were negligent in clearing
Collier to play in the NBA.
He said an enlarged heart can be very difficult to detect, especially due to
Collier's size. But he said the player's heart "was above the accepted limits,
even for a man of his size."
He said the organ was about one and a half times the size it should have
been.
"We have the unfortunate advantage of taking the heart out and weighing it,"
Sperry said.
Sperry also said that the electrical abnormalities could have been a reason
for further testing.
"If it were me, I would have wanted more studies done to clarify what those
abnormalities meant in light of the fact Jason was an athlete," he said.
The autopsy was conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which
performs all Forsyth County autopsies, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.
The Hawks left Atlanta on Tuesday for Oakland, where they open their season
Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors.
The players are wearing black shoulder patches on their uniforms to honor
Collier, who was a part-time starter. He began his college career at Indiana
before transferring to Georgia Tech.
The Hawks will leave Collier's uniform in his locker through the season