Kent State fires strength coach for providing false information about certification

Kent State has fired strength and conditioning coach Ross Bowsher for providing false information about his certification, the school announced to Dennis Dodd of CBS on Monday.

Bowsher was in charge of a workout on June 13 where freshman offensive lineman Tyler Heintz died. CBS reported last week that Bowsher appeared to be uncertified.

A preliminary cause of death was revealed to be hyperthermia, according to the coroner's office, which occurs when the body is overheated and can't cool.

Here is the full statement:

The safety and well-being of our student-athletes is paramount at Kent State University, and we have continued to assess and review all policies and circumstances relative to the June 13 summer football workout that occurred prior to the death of Tyler Heintz. We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler, and the Kent State family is focused on joining with the Heintz family in honoring his memory in our thoughts and actions.

The university has concluded its internal review of the matter, and our findings indicate that the workout was conducted in accordance with national protocols for student-athlete health and safety, and the session was supervised appropriately by qualified personnel. Present at the June 13 football workout were five certified personnel who participated in the design, implementation, and supervision of the 20 student-athletes.

During the course of the review, it was discovered that football strength and conditioning coach Ross Bowsher provided false information about his certification, which is required by the university and the NCAA. Mr. Bowsher has been dismissed from the university, and we are self-reporting this decision to the NCAA.

The NCAA mandates strength coaches must have certification through an accredited strength and conditioning program.

Bowsher previously worked at Arkansas Tech and Purdue.