A Texas A&M football player experienced a heat-related medical emergency during practice on Tuesday and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation before being released, the program confirmed Wednesday.
âÂÂThere was a heat-related medical emergency at practice yesterday,â the Aggies said in a statement. âÂÂThanks to the quick response of our incredible medical staff, we were able to act swiftly and provide the student-athlete with the care he needed. Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and has since been released. He is now back with the program and will be available this weekend.âÂÂ
The player's identity has not been disclosed. The incident was observed by reporters in the Kyle Field parking lot during a scheduled media availability, according to KBTX. A publicly available scanner call showed that an ambulance was dispatched at 11:09 a.m. for a âÂÂheat exposure.â Texas A&M staff reportedly used a portable backdrop to shield the player from view while he was loaded into the ambulance.
The ambulance remained at the facility for approximately 10 minutes before leaving without its lights or sirens.
Article Continues BelowThe conditions during Tuesday morning's practice were warm. At 11 a.m., the temperature at the practice field was 90 degrees, while the dew point was 75 degrees, producing a heat index of 100 degrees, per the KBTX First Alert Weather Team. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature was 87 degrees, which falls in the lower portion of the âÂÂmoderateâ category under UIL standards.
The Aggies practiced outdoors for at least part of Tuesday's session. While college football does not have rules specifying when teams can practice, Texas' UIL introduced new practice guidelines this year based on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. Those rules restrict practices to indoor workouts when the measurement reaches 92.1 degrees or higher.
Texas A&M, which will host Kentucky on Saturday at Kyle Field, enters the matchup 2-0 after opening the season with a 50-0 win over Missouri State and a 48-20 victory over Arizona State. Against the Sun Devils, quarterback Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes, while wide receiver Isaiah Horton caught two touchdown passes. The Aggies held a 24-20 advantage entering the fourth quarter before scoring 24 consecutive points.
Kentucky enters the matchup at 1-1 after losing at home to Alabama in Week 2. Saturday's game will be Texas A&M's first SEC contest of the season.

