creatine death
Three teammates at his former school say he used the supplement in a bid to get bigger and stronger.
October 5, 2001
By SCOTT M. REID, DAN ALBANO and EMILY BITTNER
The Orange County Register
Costa Mesa -- Costa Mesa High School football player Matthew Colby's desire to get bigger and stronger led him to take a controversial performance- enhancing substance.
Three of Colby's former teammates at Estancia High School said the 17-year-old linebacker used
creatine, a nutritional supplement available over the counter at health-food stores and pharmacies, and over the Internet.
Creatine has sparked international debate over its potential health risks, especially for teen-agers and younger children.
Colby died Saturday after collapsing on the sideline during a game with Ocean View High School on Friday night. Complete autopsy results will not be available for four to six weeks.
Orange County coroner's office officials declined to comment Thursday on whether toxicology screenings were included in the tests performed on Colby.
In recent years, creatine has been linked to kidney damage and the deaths of two American athletes.
There is no evidence that creatine caused Colby's death.
Colby complained repeatedly to teammates and friends about headaches after sustaining three blows to the head during a Sept. 15 game against Westminster High School. Colby told at least one friend that he received a concussion in the Sept. 15 game.
Creatine is an amino acid compound that, according to several scientific studies, helps build muscle by allowing athletes to work out longer.
Unlike other substances for which performance enhancement is claimed -- such as ephedrine, anabolic steroids, human-growth hormone and erythropoietin -- creatine is not banned by the International Olympic Committee or the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Its use, however, has been banned by several major college athletic programs and by some school districts in Orange County. In a formal statement earlier this year, The American Academy of Pediatrics opposed its use by teen-agers and younger children.
The Association of Professional Team Physicians, based on a number of medical studies, warned that creatine may cause dehydration, heat-related illnesses and reduced blood volume.
Several studies have also raised concerns about decreased kidney function and other damage.
According to three former teammates, Colby began using creatine along with a number of Estancia teammates in summer 2000, prior to his junior season.
Colby transferred to Costa Mesa prior to the current school year.
"He wanted to get bigger and stronger," said Mario Macias, 18, now a senior linebacker at Estancia.
Colby's uncle, Deron Colby, who has been designated by the Colby family as its spokesman, declined to answer questions about creatine use Thursday night.
"This is brand new information for me," said Deron Colby. "I'll have to confer with my family and see how we're going to handle it. The family is conferring and plans to make a statement on Monday."
Macias, who described himself as one of Colby's closest friends, said a majority of Estancia players used creatine.
"Word passed around the team and a lot of guys were going 'yeah, yeah, I'm going to use it' because they had heard it got good results," said Fahad Jahid, another linebacker on the 2000 Estancia team. "(Colby) was just using a dose of a cup a day.
"(A) guy's 'max' would go up like crazy," Jahid added, referring to the maximum weight a player was able to lift. "Maxes were skyrocketing a good 15, 20 pounds. Normally over the summer, they are up maybe five, 10 pounds."
Kenny Valbuena, Estancia's quarterback last season, said Colby openly kept a "big can" of creatine in his locker stall. Valbuena, who took creatine once or twice before stopping, said he joked with Colby about his creatine use. "Why are you taking that stuff," Valbuena recalled joking to Colby. David Perkins, then- Estancia head coach and now head football coach at Costa Mesa, made it clear that "he didn't want to see (creatine),'' said Macias. "It was out of his hands."
A request to interview Perkins on Thursday was denied by Newport Mesa Unified School District officials, who said the coach will be unavailable to the media until completion of the district's investigation into Colby's death.
The three former teammates said they had no knowledge of Colby using other performance-enhancing substances such as ephedrine- based products, sports drinks such as Red Bull or anabolic steroids.
Costa Mesa strength and conditioning coach Scott Brescol said he had no knowledge of Colby using creatine.
"Hell, no," said Brescol, author of a training guide called "Bigger and Better." "None of my kids (use creatine) ... If they're doing it, they're doing it without my knowledge."
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