There is a part of Martin McNair that wishes there was no need for a law to curtail heat-related deaths like the one suffered by his 19-year-old son, Jordan, at the University of Maryland seven years ago. At the same time, McNair can’t help but think his son’s calling was realized in the wake of his death.
“Jordan’s journey may have only been 19 years to make this big impact on the world,” the elder McNair said Tuesday afternoon. “That’s how I kind of look at it, and that really kind of gives me a sense of peace. Like they say, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him what your plans are.”
The Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act was re-introduced last week to Congress. If the bill becomes law, it would require athletic programs in colleges and high schools to develop venue-specific action plans related to heat illnesses.
The institutions would be mandated to work in coordination with local emergency responders and make available the use of automatic external defibrillators and cold-water immersion equipment. Schools would have to share their plans with the Secretary of Education and other authorizing committees.
The measure pays tribute to McNair, a Randallstown resident and McDonogh graduate who collapsed from a heatstroke on May 29, 2018. More than an hour passed between the time when the freshman offensive lineman began exhibiting signs of heatstroke and when university officials called 911, and McNair died on June 13.
The legislation was submitted July 22 by U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume. The move occurred two years after Mfume, Van Hollen and Senate colleague Ben Cardin introduced an earlier version that ultimately did not pass.
“Jordan McNair would have been 26 years old had he lived this year,” Alsobrooks said Monday. “… He was doing something that he should have been safe doing, and we did not have in place the proper protocols to ensure that he was safe. So it’s a lifeline. So many families have children who are engaging in sports, and because we know as well that our seasons are growing hotter and hotter, we’re really concerned that the proper protocols need to be in place across athletics to ensure that our students are continuing to be safe.”
The biggest difference between the 2023 and current proposals is the inclusion of high schools, which the McNair family lobbied for. On Aug. 14, 2024, Leslie Noble IV, a 16-year-old Franklin High School football player, collapsed during practice and died later that night. Initially labeled as a heatstroke, the cause of death was a heart condition, according to Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
On Saturday, a 16-year-old football player in Tennessee died after suffering complications from a heatstroke stemming from a practice on July 6. McNair said it quickly became apparent that high schools must be included in the legislation.
“These safety systems really need to be in place because you have more happening now at the high school level where with our story, it was happening consistently at the collegiate level because Jordan fell into a predictable statistic where we were losing two to three linemen or collegiate athletes every year from heat-related injuries,” he said. “Since Jordan’s story, a lot of changes have been made at the collegiate level. However, at the high school level, that’s where these things continue to happen.”
Extreme heat is an increasingly alarming weather hazard. This past June, there were more than 470 heat-related illnesses in the state, and there have been 11 heat-related deaths this year, according to Alsobrooks.
Athletes in fall sports at the collegiate and high school levels are especially susceptible to heat-related injuries because they often practice on artificial-surface fields that can radiate heat from the sun and increase temperatures.
McNair said any delay in response from school officials and emergency responders are especially harmful. According to the bill’s drafting, many medical professionals advise patients to receive treatment within 30 minutes of initial symptoms, but more than 90 minutes elapsed before McNair received care at an area hospital.
“The death of Jordan McNair was a tragedy, but it was a preventable tragedy,” Van Hollen said. “And the purpose of this legislation is to prevent other families and individuals from experiencing these tragedies because if the proper precautions had been put in place, Jordan McNair would still be with us. And so this is national legislation to transform the lessons from Jordan McNair’s tragic death into enforceable national protections for student athletes’ safety.”
In 2023, Maryland adopted the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act, which mandated that athletic departments must create protocols on preventing and treating heat-related illnesses, brain injuries and other conditions.
The University of Maryland would already have fulfilled the requirements under the proposed law. The institution has made cold-water immersion tubs available at practices and games, installed readily-accessible automatic defibrillators at all venues, added more recovery breaks and provided enhanced instruction for its athletic trainers.
Whether Congress will approve the latest version of his bill remains to be seen. Alsobrooks said the measure’s merits should cross party lines.
“My expectation is that we will get good reception because this is not a partisan issue,” she said. “It is a fact that children everywhere — from every background and every part of our society — participate in sports. It is something that so many families enjoy. It has nothing to do with party affiliation. It has to do very, very simply with the safety and well being of our children.”
In March 2023, parts of the Access to AEDs Act that were included in another bill that became law last December were significantly enhanced by support from Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who recovered from an in-game heart attack thanks to the use of automatic external defibrillators. McNair said he hopes the legislation named for his son garners similar attention.
“I’m realistically optimistic, and that’s how you have to be with Congress,” he said. “If you don’t get it passed this time, let’s resubmit it again until we get it passed.”
Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
