USF strength and conditioning coach fired amid civil lawsuit
USF fired women’s basketball assistant strength and conditioning coach Irele Oderinde on Wednesday, who is currently embroiled in a civil trial for workouts that resulted in several University of Oregon football players being hospitalized, according to The Oregonian.
Athletics confirmed Oderinde was fired and declined to provide further comment. Oderinde served as director of athletic performance at USF from 2014-16. He followed former football coach Willie Taggart to Oregon in 2017, then returned to Tampa in 2020 under women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez.
Three former Oregon players filed a civil lawsuit in 2019 against Oderinde, Taggart, the University of Oregon and the NCAA for a total of $125.5 million for punitive damages, pain and suffering as well as past and future medical bills.
The trial began April 12, according to Sports Illustrated. Both Oderinde and Taggart took the stand on Thursday to express their regret for the January 2017 workouts. Due to the excessive training, all the three players involved contracted rhabdomyolysis, a condition that affects skeletal muscle and can lead to kidney failure.
Shortly after the incident, Oderinde was suspended by Oregon without pay for 30 days. He eventually left for Florida State after Taggart’s first season with the Seminoles.
Upon his return to USF, Fernandez told The Daily Stampede he was confident in Oderinde’s ability to “help shape his basketball team.”
Oderinde has been removed from the Athletics staff directory webpage. USF has not yet appointed a new strength and conditioning coach as of Friday.
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