Linda Will, mother of Northwestern football Rashidi Wheeler, filed a lawsuit against NU on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. The suit names head coach Randy Walker and Athlectic Director Rick Taylor, though the family’s lawyer said Tuesday that the two men would not be named.

The suit also names head trainer Tory Aggeler, strength coaches Larry Lilja and Tom Christian, NU’s coordinator of football operations Justin Chabot and trainer Michael Rose.

Montgomery, speaking at a press conference at the offices of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition in Chicago Tuesday afternoon, said the family will seek claims on “substantial” damages. In calculating those damages, he cited both the emotional loss of Wheeler to his family and the possibility that the senior safety was a year away from turning pro.

The suit does not seek a specified amount in damages, Wheeler’s lawyer told the AP.

The medical examiner ruled out over-the-counter supplements on Monday as the cause of death. Montgomery and The Rev. Jesse Jackson stressed Tuesday that focus should now be turned to the inadequate medical infrastructure available on the practice field where Wheeler died. Jackson, serving as a spokesman for Wheeler’s mother, Linda Will, referred to rumors of the banned supplements as a “diversion.”

“We’re delighted that the medical report shows that the idea of some supplement did not trigger his death,” Jackson said.

The toxicology report released by the medical examiner’s office did confirm that Wheeler had taken the NCAA-banned substance ephedrine. However, the office ruled that Wheeler’s death was caused solely by exercise-induced bronchial asthma, as the initial autopsy indicated more than two weeks ago.

Montgomery maintained that, despite Wheeler’s history of asthma attacks, his death could have been prevented. He pointed primarily to the time lapse in summoning paramedics to the field after Wheeler collapsed.

According to Montgomery, at least 27 minutes elapsed from the time when Wheeler had to stop participating in a drill to when the first 911 call was made. He said he has received reports that as many as 40 minutes passed.

“We think that that is indicative of a lack of care and negligence that absolutely contributed to and caused this young man’s death,” Montgomery said. He added that once the ambulance was called, it took paramedics less than four minutes to arrive on the lakeside practice field. “(In our judgment), if (that three to four minutes) had come at the very beginning of his collapse, he would be alive today.”

Montgomery also expressed concern that the training staff on hand for the offseason conditioning test was not very experienced. He said that some of the trainers had served as “apprentices” for only a matter of days before they were confronted with Wheeler’s collapse.

Wheeler’s asthma attack was at one point misdiagnosed as hyperventilation and a trainer applied a bag to his mouth and nose thus worsening the problem, Montgomery said.

While Montgomery continues to probe into the case in preparation for the lawsuit, University President Henry Bienen spoke Tuesday about the investigation NU is currently conducting.

Bienen met with Jackson in his office for about an hour Tuesday afternoon. Afterward he provided some details of the university investigation, saying that the school has already conducted more than 85 interviews.

The university’s investigation, Bienen said, will look into the medical staff at the practice, possible supplements taken by players and any NCAA violations that might have occurred in holding voluntary preseason drills that some believe were mandatory. The university also plans to compare its conditioning regimen with that of other college football programs.

“I know that there has been a great deal of speculation about many of these issues,” Bienen read from a prepared statement. “I also understand the desire for quick answers.

“We simply cannot prejudge the results of the review at this time.”

Alan Cubbage, NU’s vice president for university relations, said a potential lawsuit will not affect the review.

“The liability issue is irrelevant (as far as the investigation goes),” Cubbage said. “We obviously can’t control (a lawsuit).”

Both Cubbage and Bienen refused to estimate when the review would be completed, and Cubbage said no information regarding any part of the review will be released until the entire process is complete. Both suggested that certain parts of the review, especially the comparisons to training regimens at other schools, could be a lengthy process.

Although the university’s investigation will look into the conditioning program players were participating in when Wheeler died, Montgomery said that the family is not concerned with the program’s intense regimen. Walker brought the program to NU two years ago to help give his athletes more stamina than their opponents.

Howver, Jackson questioned the voluntary nature of the conditioning drills that were held on Aug. 3. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from running formal, mandatory practices over the summer. Jackson said the practice was not voluntary, as defined by the NCAA, because players suffered consequences for not attending.

Wheeler and about 80 other players were taking a conditioning test Aug. 3 that consists of a series of wind sprints with progressively shorter recovery times in between. If players don’t pass the test over the summer, they must complete it on the first day of preseason camp in Kenosha, Wis.

Athletic Director Rick Taylor has asked Walker to stop running the drill while results from the investigation are pending.

Jackson suggested that the football team’s desire to give the practice a more informal appearance might have led to the insufficient medical infrastructure on hand.

“The fear is that, if you had that there, would it make it look official?” Jackson said. “They tried to skirt the law and the death cop caught them.”

The Summer Northwestern’s Glenn Kasses contributed to this report.