Three high school football players for West Valley (Alaska) High School were rescued and hospitalized after an incident in a University of Alaska Fairbanks pool.
The Anchorage Daily News reports that the team had rented the pool for the evening, and the students were reportedly participating in an optional preseason team-building activity hosted by the coaching staff. The Daily News reports that seven members of the football staff and a lifeguard were present at the time of the incident.
The players were reportedly treading water when at least one sank to the bottom, according to a University of Alaska Fairbanks spokesperson. All were reportedly submerged at one point, however, and pulled from the pool.
“It is a serious situation and we are just beginning our investigation of the incident,” Fairbanks North Star Borough School District public relations director Sharice Walker told the Daily News.
For now, all preseason activities for the football team have been put on hold. The team is scheduled to open the season on Aug. 16.
