SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Niners offensive lineman Thomas Herrion, who died Saturday in the locker room after his team's game in Denver, had a family history of heart ailments, but medical experts could not definitively say those problems contributed to his death.
Herrion, 23, died shortly after coming off the field from the team's 26-21 loss. The team had gathered for a short talk from coach Mike Nolan and had just finished a prayer when Herrion collapsed near his locker. A medical team, which included the 49ers' owner, John York, a doctor, quickly tended to him. He was taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:18 p.m. Mountain time.
An autopsy was performed Sunday by Dr. Amy Martin of the Denver Medical Examiner's office, and the initial results were inconclusive. Toxicology tests, which would determine perhaps drugs or foreign substances in the system, can take more than three weeks for results. There is no evidence that Herrion had used performance-enhancing or illegal drugs. His friends have said he did not even drink.
Michelle Weiss-Samaras, Denver's chief deputy coroner, said the toxicology report "are not the only things we waiting for."
"We've done the gross anatomy of the body," she said. "Now we're waiting for slides. We hope to get it done a little sooner. It depends on the labs.
"We're not going in looking for one specific thing. We're looking at a nice round picture with gross autopsy findings. We do not make assumptions going in. We let it tell us what they got."
Asked if an autopsy could make a quick determination on the impact of heredity factors on the heart, she said not necessarily. "Not everything can be seen with the naked eye," she said. "We'll wait until all the slides are in."
Herrion's father, J.C. Herrion, died early last year of a stroke complicated by diabetes. He was 52. His mother, Janice, has had high blood pressure and hypertension.
Dr. Robert Eckel, president of the American Heart Association, said the major cause of sudden death in young people was "an underlining undiagnosed cardiac abnormality."
"Often, it's an inherited defect that is not always detected," he said.
Eckel said a family's risk factor increased when a male relative age 55 and younger (female 65 and younger) develops a serious heart episode, such as a heart attack or stroke. "In an office setting that sets risk," he said, "family history always draws additional attention."
Herrion's death does not appear to be a similar situation to another NFL death, Minnesota lineman Korey Stringer, who died four year ago during hot July practice. Stringer collapsed while practicing on an excessively hot and humid day in Mankato, Minn. It was determined that he died of heatstroke.
Playing conditions Saturday in Denver, however, were reasonable. The temperatures did not reach beyond 65 degrees with a low humidity. Herrion did work hard in the final quarter, playing all 14 plays in the final 91-yard drive. He appeared to show no signs of stress, however, as he talked and joked with his teammates, opponents and fans as he walked to the locker room.
Herrion, who was an offensive lineman for Utah and went undrafted in 2004, played on the Dallas practice team before being released last year. He was picked up by the 49ers in December and played on their practice squad through the rest of the season. He then played for Hamburg, Germany in the NFL Europe this spring. He returned to the 49ers' camp but was a long shot to make the team.
"That's what so strange about his death," said Fred Lyles, his agent. "He had physicals at Utah. He had two physicals with Dallas. He had a couple with San Francisco. He had a physical before he left for the World League and another one when he returned. You would think through all those physicals, if he had a heart problem or breathing problem, something would be identified. Something should show up somewhere."
Herrion's oldest brother, Love Savior, 32, said he was told the autopsy showed "just regular things."
"There was a little blockage of one artery but not a lot," Savior said. "And there was some slight stretching of the heart. But that was about it. We're trying to figure out why it happened."
Savior said that he and his other three siblings have had no heart concerns.
The death has chilled many of Herrion's teammates, especially the linemen. Herrion was listed at 6 feet 3 inches, 315 pounds in the 49ers' media guide. But Nolan said Sunday that Herrion's weight fluctuated in the 330 range.
Several grief counselors talked to the team Monday morning. There was a brief practice in the afternoon. A memorial service will be held Wednesday night. The funeral will be Saturday in Fort Worth.