Report: Kent State strength coach appears uncertified at time of player's death

Kent State is unable to produce any NCAA required certification for head strength coach Ross Bowsher, who supervised drills the day freshman offensive lineman Tyler Heintz collapsed and died, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reports.

Heintz, 19, died on June 13. The preliminary cause of death was determined to be hyperthermia, a condition that develops when the body is unable to properly cool itself.

A Freedom of Information Act request asking for copies of certification pertaining to strength and conditioning staff revealed "no responsive records" connected to Bowsher, a Kent State spokesman told CBS Sports.

According to Dodd, two of the nation's largest strength and conditioning organizations were also unable to find certification for Bowsher.

A Kent State spokesman released the following statement regarding the issue:

We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler Heintz, and the Kent State family is focused on joining with the Heintz family in honoring the memory of Tyler in our thoughts and actions.

Kent State University continues to assess and review all policies and practices relative to the circumstances surrounding Tyler's death. It is premature to report the totality of our findings, but we remain steadfast in the due diligence of our review and our commitment to the safety and well-being of all student-athletes at Kent State University.

CBS also obtained copies of the workout plans for the day of and the day before Heintz's death, and had them analyzed by two different experts. The experts concluded there "didn't seem to be anything overly strenuous in the workouts."

Despite not being able to provide certification for Bowsher, the university was able to produce Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association memberships for four subordinates.

Even if Bowsher's certification had expired, strength coaches are not considered certified if a membership happens to lapse.