Clemons taken to hospital
Eagles defensive end Chris Clemons has been taken to a Lehigh Valley hospital after leaving the field with heat-related dehydration.
Clemons taken to hospital
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
Eagles defensive end Chris Clemons scared teammates and coaches when trainers had trouble bringing down his his body temperature, after Clemons left the morning workout with dehydration symptoms. Clemons eventually left Lehigh's A. Haigh Cundey Varsity House, where the Eagles dress and train, in the back of a white-and-blue City of Bethlehem Emergency Medical Sevices ambulance, which arrived with lights and siren running a little after 11:10 a.m
.Eagles officials forbade photographers and TV cameramen from shooting footage of Clemons being loaded into the ambulance, which was not running its siren when it departed at 11:27 a.m., preceded by a black unmarked police car. Clemons seemed to be conscious and sitting up on a stretcher, hooked to an IV, as he entered the ambulance, though reporters were kept about 40 feet away, across a road from the entrance to the fieldhouse.
Eagles coach Andy Reid and team security director Butch Buchanico followed the ambulance in a white SUV.
It wasn't oppressively hot during the morning session of Eagles training camp -- officially, temperatures were in the low 80s, under bright sun -- but at least a few players seemed to experience cramps or dehydration, Clemons most dramatically.
Clemons left the field on a motorized cart, with a tan ice-filled cooling cap on his head. When the cart got to to doorway of the fieldhouse, Clemons needed a trainer under each shoulder to get into the building. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb theorized that Clemons, 26, a free agent signee from the Raiders, was unaccustomed to the brisk pace of Eagles workouts.
"We're kind of adjusted to it," McNabb said at his scheduled news conference, minutes after Clemons was whisked away. "This is his first go-round."
McNabb said he knew little about the situation, beyond the fact that when McNabb came in from the field, Clemons was "just sitting there, they were throwing some cold rags on him."
Play it out you brown...you're in the NFL..Stop being a curtain about it!— vhrocks11- Ask the doctor who treats Clemons generic questions about dehydration and the risks and wisdom of the type of physical activty that a professional football team conducts during training camps. What needs to happen to insure the safety of the players regarding both health issues such as dehydration as well as bone breaks, sprains, muscle tears and injuries of that nature.— MikeP
Comment removed.- Spadaro is a "reporter" who works for the Eagle's. No doubt that he can't be completely objective and he's part public relations in that he tries to explain the team's position. However, some of his picks are more long shots that might develop into an interesting training camp story line. Philly loves underdogs and long shots. After all, we've been rooting for them most of our lives. Dave is getting the ball rolling.— MikeP
- How about the people who have to be out in this heat and aren't making a huge salary? How about the firefighters both paid & volunteer who have to be out in the heat and wearing 30 pounds of gear? I don't see big coverage when one of them goes to the hospital. Also, lets not forget those in Afghanistan Iraq who are wearing 30 to 40 lbs of gear, and risking their lives in temps much higher than this!— chuckman23
- Well guys, my INSIDE SCOOP on Andrews is good stuff. Coach Reid recently talked to Shawn during his break of playing Spiderman vs. Godzilla with his action figures. Shawn is now up to 425 lbs, is talking in mono-syllabic words, and is speaking to the media only through his interpreter, his vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll, but I GOT AN EXCLUSIVE BABY! I can't get into details, but we're OK because Max-Jean Gilles will be in HAWAII THIS YEAR! YEAH BABY!— Dave Spadaro
- Mayor, per your question, McNabb is an 11 BABY! He's got the fire, and the McNabb - Gasperson connection is reminding me a lot of Montana - Rice. SEE YA IN TAMPA— Dave Spadaro
- Mark your calendars! Monday, Sept. 15, The Philadelphia "Semi-pro" Eagles @ The Dallas Cowboys 8:30 p.m. Monday Night Football. How 'Bout Them Cowboys!— Icacrai
- Another Spauduaro favorite: How Stephen Spach battled to make the team over Andy Thorn. Spauduaro loved that one. He also said that "Bruce Perry was the guy for the KR job". And Spauduaro was bullish on Matt McCoy for his aggressiveness.— shoeshineboy
