MACON, Ga. — 21-year-old Baba Agbaje's last physical showed no signs of health issues, according to Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones.
Monday night, the former Mercer University soccer player collapsed on the university's intramural field while playing a pick-up game with friends. The coroner says he died of cardiac arrest. The autopsy will confirm the cause of death.
Mercer wouldn't release information on Agbaje's last physical. The university confirmed the physical was completed prior to last fall when he completed his athletic eligibility.
However, the university says their policy and NCAA regulations require all student-athletes to undergo physical exams before each season. They added all athletes must pass a physical to play.
With that, our question was, "What do professionals look for in these physicals?"
We spoke to certified athletic trainer Rodger Fleming, owner of Body Awareness Performance and Therapy in Macon. Fleming has previously worked with college teams including Fort Valley State University and Central Georgia Technical College.
Fleming says before any NCAA athlete starts practice, they must have what's called a pre-participation medical evaluation. Medical doctors or doctors of osteopathic medicine do a physical exam with a strong focus on the heart, brain, muscles, bones and joints.
"It goes from top of the head to to the bottom of the feet," Fleming said.
He says most physicals are standard but can be customized based on an athlete's medical history. They look for specific abnormalities in the heart including heart murmurs.
If any abnormalities are found or suspected, professionals can ask for extra tests before an athlete plays, Fleming said.
The NCAA website says they have a heavy focus on heart health because sudden cardiac death is the leading medical cause of death for college athletes. It makes up 75 percent of all sudden deaths that occur in training, exercise or competition, according to the association.
Mercer says after that initial in-depth exam before they start practice, athletes have smaller checkups every year--checking for any changes or injuries.
Coroner Leon Jones said Agbaje died of cardiac arrest. An autopsy will show whether he had an underlying heart problem. The autopsy is scheduled for Thursday morning, Jones said.