Settlement division might end Wheeler case after 4 years

The beginning of the end of Northwestern’s four-year legal battle with former NU cornerback Rashidi Wheeler’s survivors may be near.

Cook County Circuit Judge Kathy Flannagan will preside over arbitration to determine how the school’s $16 million settlement offer will be awarded at a hearing today in Chicago.

Wheeler, 22, died Aug. 3, 2001 at a preseason summer workout. Shortly after his death, his parents sued NU for wrongful death. Wheeler’s mother, Linda Will, opposes the settlement, but Flannagan imposed the settlement on Sept. 12 despite her protests.

Flannagan appointed a guardian to represent the minor children, Wheeler’s brother and half-brothers, because she felt Will’s refusal to settle was not in their best interest. The guardian recommended the acceptance of the settlement.

Wheeler died while completing a conditioning drill which had been outlawed by the NCAA for that time of year. Three other players, all of whom, like Wheeler, had been taking a supplement which contained ephedra, collapsed on the field that day. Medical reports indicated that Wheeler died of an exercise-induced asthma attack, but NU claims his death was caused by his supplement use.

The settlement is the largest in Illinois history for the wrongful death of a single male younger than 30.