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(AP) -- The University of Iowa will put in
safeguards to better protect the health of students after 12
football players were hospitalized following grueling offseason
workouts, a school official said Wednesday.

 Associate athletics director Fred Mims would not disclose
details of the case, including what medical condition the players
are suffering from. The school disclosed Monday night's
hospitalizations on Tuesday, saying they were likely related to
winter workouts.

 The school said the players, whom they would not identify, were
"in safe and stable condition" and responding well to treatment.

Several players wrote on their Facebook pages that the workouts
involved intense weightlifting. Freshman linebacker Jim Poggi wrote
Saturday that he had done 100 squats and pushed a sled 100 yards.
He said he was having trouble walking. His uncle, Bo Poggi, said
his nephew remained hospitalized Wednesday and he had not heard an
official explanation of the illness.

"All of us are extremely concerned," Poggi said. "We're
hoping for the best and this is a temporary situation and he'll
make a full recovery. And then we'll get to the next steps on how
this happened, why it happened."

Another player, freshman defensive lineman Carl Davis of
Detroit, wrote Sunday that he couldn't walk or feel his arms after
performing 100 squats and 100 bench presses, and had "a whole
weekend of soreness." A third, freshman defensive back Tanner
Miller of Kalona, Iowa, wrote on Tuesday that he had a "night in
the hospital .couldn't be a worse day."

Mims said he was still waiting to learn the precise details of
the illness and he cautioned fans to have patience until they are
clear.

"The doctors and the administration will come forward with an
explanation of what did happen, how it happened and what we can do
to ensure it doesn't happen again," he said.

Mims, who is in charge of the department's compliance with NCAA
rules, said the matter did not need to be reported since the
workouts were allowed and routine.

 "We have an excellent medical staff and training staff who will
do due diligence to look at what did transpire and make sure we can
avoid this in the future," he said. "I'm quite sure they'll have
safeguards in place to make sure people aren't harmed."

He said the case is a "good lesson" for why university
officials should ask players about how they are feeling after
strenuous workouts. He said Iowa will also try to avoid problems
after players return from school breaks and might not have kept up
with fitness routines by making sure expectations are clear.

The university said coach Kirk Ferentz was out of town on a
recruiting trip but was aware of the situation. Chris Doyle, the
team's strength and conditioning coach who has worked under Ferentz
all 12 years of his tenure, did not immediately return phone and
e-mail messages. The team's physician, Ned Amendola, was traveling
in Costa Rica on business, an aide said.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)