Ethan Dietz tragically passed away in the middle of his sophomore season of college basketball at Connors State. An investigation remains ongoing, now one month after his untimely death.
A new wrinkle that I had not previously noticed creates even more concern for how this will be handled.
The college basketball coach at Connors State also serves as the athletic director. Based on the information that has been made available to the public, he should not be allowed to continue in either role.
Ethan Dietz died after a blow to the head.
Although the official cause of death is not yet available, Dietz took an elbow to the head during the college basketball game at Grayson College on Nov. 22. He showed immediate discomfort and one of his teammates had to help him off of the court.
Despite clear signs of a head injury, the 20-year-old sophomore checked back into the game after about two minutes on the bench. It was very clear on the broadcast that he was dazed and confused.
There were multiple instances in which Dietz either grabbed his head or tried to shake off the cobwebs. His coaches either did not notice the concerning behavior or chose to ignore it.
The star forward eventually took himself out of the game with approximately 12 minutes remaining in the second half and sat alone at the end of the bench with a towel over his head. His teammates had to help him back to the locker room after the postgame handshakes, in which he did not participate.
Ethan Dietz tragically passed away in the hospital three days later.
The Connors State staff should not have allowed their player to stay in the game with a head injury. And to make matters worse, head coach Bill Muse has a concerning history of neglect when it comes to this kind of thing. This was not the first time that he kept a visibly concussed player on the court.
An investigation is underway at Connors State.
Connors State decided to cancel all of its college basketball games in the month of December after the death of Ethan Dietz. It is currently scheduled to return to action on Jan. 5.
Muse remains in his role as head coach as of this writing. His son, Bill Muse Jr., is his primary assistant.
Meanwhile, local law enforcement and EMS are working with the junior college to figure out exactly what happened to Dietz and who was responsible. I have not seen an official update in a month. The school did not reply to inquires. It is unclear as to where the investigation stands.
However, as I searched for an update, I came across a new wrinkle that I had not previously noticed. That’s on me!
Bill Muse is not only the college basketball coach. He is also the athletic director.
An athletic director would typically be at the forefront of this kind of investigation into a head coach’s potential malpractice. The AD would investigate the coach.
In this instance, the AD is at the center of the investigation as the head coach.
If Muse allowed Dietz to go back in the game with a head injury, it raises questions about his ability to lead other athletic programs. What kind of culture is being led at Connors State? How can he continue?