TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -A disease that causes irregular heart rhythms most likely caused South Florida running back Keeley Dorsey’s fatal collapse while lifting weights at the school’s athletic facility in January.
Dr. Laura Hair, a Hillsborough County associate medical examiner, said Thursday the 19-year-old freshman appears to have had an undiagnosed genetic heart disorder called Long QT Syndrome, but tests on his DNA were unable to confirm it. He was pronounced dead at a hospital on Jan. 17.
“I think it’s the most likely possibility,” Hair said of Dorsey’s death. “It was natural. I didn’t find any reason it wasn’t natural.”
Long QT Syndrome is a disorder of the electrical activity of the heart that can cause dangerous, rapid and chaotic heart rhythms. The result is a lack of adequate blood supply to the brain, causing blackouts, fainting or sudden cardiac death.
Hair said efforts to restart Dorsey’s heart were unsuccessful.
“I think he died very quickly,” she said.
Dorsey rushed for 68 yards on 10 carries in 2006. He scored his only touchdown on a 52-yard run on the final play of the Bulls’ 41-10 season-opening victory over McNeese State. It was South Florida’s longest run of the season.
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