Thompson's death brings state of devastation, grief

Mike Riley, dressed in black from head to toe, uncomfortably fidgeted with the cap of a water bottle. He kept his head down, eyes mostly avoiding the contingent of media crammed in the Gill Coliseum basement Thursday afternoon.

And when the 58-year-old coach spoke, he spoke in a quivering, somber tone.

"This is a devastating and tragic event for all of us here," Riley said. "This is just one of those things you never want to be a part of… that's it… we'll never forget Fred. "

Freshman defensive tackle Fred Thompson was pronounced dead at approximately 7 p. m. Wednesday night at Good Samaritan Hospital after collapsing during a pick-up basketball game at Dixon Recreation Center.

An autopsy is scheduled for Friday. As of now, the general consensus is the 6-4, 317-pound 19-year-old died of a heart attack.

The call to 911 was placed at 6:20. Medics tended to Thompson on the court for approximately 20 minutes before rushing him to the hospital.

According to Lt. Gregg Hastings, state medical examiner Karen Gunson thinks there's not much that could have been done to save Thompson's life.

"Dr. Gunson believes that even if EMTs were standing in the recreation center at the time Fred collapsed, they probably could not have been able to save him because the cardiac arrhythmia he suffered was extremely difficult to treat," Hastings said.

A team of detectives from the criminal investigations division, Hastings said, concluded there was "no evidence indicating a crime was committed. "

Riley said he "wasn't aware" of any pre-existing condition or family history that could have led to Thompson's death.

Word spread quickly throughout the Oregon State community Wednesday night, as many of Thompson's teammates — as well as countless other OSU student-athletes — begin expressing their grief through social media sites shortly after 8 p.m.

A large group of football players — those who had not yet left town for break — gathered at the Valley Football Center after finding out. Staff from OSU's Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and chapels were present to help players and coaches deal with the grieving process, though athletic director Bob De Carolis said players mostly just sat in stunned silence.

"Whenever you lose a loved one, a family member, a teammate, in this case it's even more tragic when you see a young person's life end in a moment," De Carolis said. "The thought here is how fragile life is. Our thoughts and prayers and support go out to Fred's family. "

Riley was on a recruiting trip in Seattle, Wash. when he heard the news and immediately made his way back to Corvallis, saying he "just wanted to see (his players)."

Though Thompson didn't suit up for the Beavers this fall — he greyshirted and was set to enroll at OSU for winter term — he made a lasting impression as a teammate.

"Everybody liked Fred, that's the best way to say it," Riley said. "Big ol' guy, fun, great smile. I think he's just one of those guys everybody liked. He was like the perfect teammate. "

Thompson, who would have turned 20 on Sunday, graduated from Oakland Tech High School (Richmond, Calif.) in 2009. He was high school teammates with current OSU freshman safety Ryan Murphy, who Riley said was probably Thompson's best friend.

Riley said he talked to Murphy Wednesday night, but offered no insight as to how Murphy was holding up other than he was "well enough to talk. "

De Carolis noted how much the loss affects the community as a whole.

"I think it's vitally important that we are attune to the support of our student-athletes, both in football and the general athletic department, our coaches and our staff, and that's going to be our primary focus going forward," he said.

Men's basketball coach Craig Robinson's weekly press conference, which had been scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Thursday, was canceled. The Beavers are set to host Idaho Friday at 7 p. m. at Gill Coliseum.

The Oregon State athletic community plans on holding a memorial service — a "celebration of life," as De Carolis put it — on January 8, the first day everyone is expected to be back from break.

A date has not been set for the family's memorial service. De Carolis said teammates who want to attend that service will be allowed to do so, cost-free, through the NCAA's student-athlete opportunity fund.

No plans were revealed as to how the team will honor Thompson during the 2012 season. The Beavers, who open spring practice March 12, kick off the season at home against Nicholls State on Sept. 1.

Until then, the Beavers will have to deal with the loss of a teammate without the release of football.

Perhaps nothing exemplified Beaver Nation's devastation more than the final moments of Thursday's press conference, when De Carolis was asked what kind of effect something so tragic has on an athletic department.

"It's tough," De Carolis said. "It's a young person that has the prime of their life ahead of them and so much promise and potential…"

De Carolis, who had kept his emotions in check up to that point, began to choke up and a look of pure desolation crept across his face as he was unable to finish his sentence.

Grady Garrett

Sports editor