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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 8, 2002
TALLAHASSEE -- Before beginning their offseason conditioning program for the first time since Devaughn Darling died Feb. 26, the Seminoles huddled Thursday morning for a prayer.
"Be safe and work hard" was chaplain Clint Purvis' message.
"Amen," the players answered.
After the hourlong session of the so-called mat drills -- tumbling on mats, running sprints and performing lateral agility drills -- the players, coaches and trainers agreed both were accomplished.
"I think we were all a little worried it wouldn't be as intense, as hard, as it usually was," junior tailback Nick Maddox said. "But it's like it was before with a little break in there. They still worked us hard. They didn't take anything off of you, they didn't expect anything less than they did last year. I think it's the perfect setup right now."
A modified regimen included a decrease from 21 to 18 minutes for each of the three strenuous segments and two four-minute breaks. Also, 10-gallon water coolers were placed at each workout station rather than making players run to a water fountain for a quick gulp. More than a dozen student trainers milled about with bottles to provide water before a player might ask for it, much as they do during a fall practice in the heat.
"The student trainers were very available to us," sophomore linebacker Michael Boulware said. "That made it a lot better. It helped me out mentally."
Coaches remained as demanding as ever. At one point, a player rushed to a trash can to get sick, and a coach nearby urged him to "get his head out the bucket" and get going. One trainer stood with the player and let him linger for several moments. The player, a first-timer at the drills, returned and completed the day with no other incident.
Another change, necessitated by construction at the Moore Athletic Center, was the move to Tully Gymnasium, which is large enough for the players to be in the same area at the same time. (In Moore, the players split time between two gyms on different floors.)
"We were in one solid gym, so everybody's on the same floor seeing what everybody does at the same time," said Randy Oravetz, the director of sports medicine. "Coaches can see everybody and I can see everybody. It made life a little bit easier."
The Darling family has filed a notice of intent to sue FSU for wrongful death, alleging that Devaughn was not properly hydrated. Another issue the family will raise is that the coaches and trainers missed or ignored warning signs. Darling, who had been struggling and had complained to teammates of blurry vision and chest pains, collapsed after trying to complete his final drill of the day.
NOTE: Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Bobby Meeks abruptly walked out of the gym midway through the second session. Offensive line coach Jimmy Heggins said Meeks didn't quit the team and just has "some issues." He declined to be more specific.