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Questions Remain Over NFL Player's Death Minutes After Preseason Game; Eric Clapton Interview; Rocky Anderson Interview

Aired August 22, 2005 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, other news around the world right now, frightening pictures out of Portugal.
Wild fires are raging across the drought-stricken country. Now they're threatening its third largest (inaudible). This weekend, European nations began sending in specially-equipped aircraft to help out. Those fires have scorched 331,000 acres, killing 10 firefighters and three civilians.

Raging bull -- make that bulls. Forty people were injured yesterday during Mexico's 51st running of the bulls. The Red Cross says most of the injuries were caused by the bulls stampeding. Others were hurt as they scrambled to get out of the way. Pound for pound, that's a lot of hostility on the hooved.

Britain's mysterious piano man is now in his native Germany. That man who reportedly loved to play the piano was found soaking wet on a beach in April and had refused to speak for months. He recently broke his silence, admitting that he went to England after losing his job in Paris and had tried to commit suicide.

Straight ahead, Eric Clapton unplugged -- personal reflections from the legendary rocker as he prepares to release a new album.

CNN's exclusive interview next on LIVE FROM.

A day of mourning -- what caused a seemingly healthy NFL player to collapse and die just minutes after a preseason game?

LIVE FROM is on the story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the autopsy is done, but questions remain over the death of San Francisco 49er Thomas Herrion. The 23-year-old defensive lineman collapsed after Saturday's game with the Denver Broncos. The coroner says he won't be able to give a cause of death until toxicology tests are back, and those could take weeks. To say his teammates are stunned is an understatement.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue made a statement just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL TAGLIABUE, NFL COMMISSIONER: This is a time of mourning for all of us in the NFL. It's a time that we have to be reflective and try to sort out what happened and carry on in a way that's sensible but that takes account of a tragedy. And we'll be doing that and working closely with the medical authorities and team physicians and others to see if the cause of this player's death can be ascertained.

At this point, we don't have any answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, Herrion's death has people talking about the health of pro football players. One concern centers around a controversial report printed earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Here are the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): NFL players weigh a lot more than they used to.

According to the body mass index, 56 percent of NFL players are obese, 26 percent are severely obese and 3 percent are even morbidly obese. That comes from a study published by the University of North Carolina earlier this year.

NFL officials say the study is flawed. They take issue with the numbers because body mass index only uses height and weight, and not fat versus muscle. A player could be extremely fit and muscular and still be considered obese on the BMI scale.

Obesity aside though, average body weight in the NFL is not what it once was.

Remember when William Perry was called "The Refrigerator"? He weighed a massive 350 pounds in the late 1980s. By today's standards, though, that's not so much.

Team rosters show that more than 300 current NFL players weigh 300 pounds or more. Only five NFL players weighed that much in 1985.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Herrion was a native of Fort Worth, Texas, and at the Dallas Cowboys training camp last year, he was teased for being too young and not having a mustache, so he drew one on with a marker.

Charean Williams covers the NFL for the "Fort Worth Star Telegraph," to talk more about the athlete and how the team is dealing with this right now.

Thanks for being with us, Charean.

Let's talk about Herrion and his background. Was he in good health? CHAREAN WILLIAMS, "FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAPH": Seemingly, he was in great health. He weighed 310 pounds. He had been up to 340 in the past. But he had gotten that down to 310, and by all accounts, he was in the best shape of his life.

Now, you just talked about the BMI -- by the BMI, yes, he was in that 26 percent that is severely obese. So whether that played a part or not, we'll find that out probably soon.

PHILLIPS: Do we know when his last physical was?

WILLIAMS: He had, had five physicals in the last four years, according to his agent, Fred Lyle (ph), and had passed all of them and no problems had showed up on any of the physicals.

PHILLIPS: So no concerns at all?

WILLIAMS: There were no concerns.

And that's why he was on the field in that 14-play drive to end the game for the 49ers and showed no signs coming off the field that there was any kind of problem.

PHILLIPS: Charean, considering size and weather elements and just what an athlete like Herrion has to go through during a game, how often -- are physicals required, say, every couple of weeks or every couple of months? Are there any type of guidelines to how often these athletes need to get checked out?

WILLIAMS: They aren't that often, according to NFL rules.

I mean, you know, they give them a physical before they show up, whenever that may be, to the team. But after that, you know, they're pretty much cleared to go unless they show signs of a problem after that.

And he had obviously shown no signs of a problem and had been allowed to play.

So does there need to be more than that? Well, this is only really the fourth one that we've seen that's happened immediately after a game or during training camp. So I don't know that -- I mean, it's obviously not a problem or hasn't been a problem in the past.

PHILLIPS: Was he on any type of medication?

WILLIAMS: Not that we know of.

According to his brother, he did not smoke, he did not drink. He did not take supplements, did not take steroids.

There seems to be nothing there. So it's still a mystery at this point of what caused this young man's death at 23 years of age.

PHILLIPS: Well, and that was my next question -- if there was any type of background concerning steroids or any type of drug abuse. WILLIAMS: Seems to be none.

Seemingly, on all accounts, this was a great kid and did everything he was supposed to do and took care of his body like he was supposed to take care of it.

So, there's nothing there at this point. I think it's a mystery to everyone at this point why this kid suddenly collapsed in the locker room and died.

PHILLIPS: So how is the team doing, Charean?

WILLIAMS: I think they're probably, as anyone would at this point, struggle a little bit. He was a teammate. He was third in the depth chart and was a long-shot to make the team, but I mean, he was on the roster and they all knew who he was. So, I'm sure for the next few weeks, this is going to be really difficult for the 49ers to go on like nothing happened.

PHILLIPS: Now is coach re-evaluating maybe how team members do their workouts or train before a game, even what they're doing in the locker room while they're not playing?

WILLIAMS: I don't know. At this point, I'm sure they'll evaluate everything and I think a lot depends on how and why he died. I think that will tell the NFL a lot if they need to change things. But at this point, I would say it's probably going to be around the league -- and I hate to say business as usual, but probably around the league, that's what it's going to be until we find out exactly what happened to Thomas Herrion.

PHILLIPS: And once again, those toxicology reports, possibly a couple weeks?

WILLIAMS: They're saying three to six weeks is normally what it takes. So, I would look for it somewhere in that time frame.

Charean Williams covers the NFL with "Fort Worth Star Telegraph." Thanks for your time today.

WILLIAMS: Thank you.

Straight ahead, a one-on-one with Eric Clapton. The legendary rocker speaks out about marriage, fatherhood and the loss of his son. CNN exclusive interview next on LIVE FROM.

And later: A 13-year-old takes heroic action in order to protect a young girl from a hale of bullets. We'll have his story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you were with us last hour, you heard President Bush enlist the Veterans of Foreign Wars in the battle for hearts and minds of Americans. With anti-war protesters putting down roots in his own back yard, almost literally, Mr. Bush went to Salt Lake City for a long-scheduled speech saluting the ideals at stake in Iraq.

His audience, needless to say, was friendly but not so -- not so Salt Lake City's mayor Rocky Anderson. On Friday, Mayor Anderson called for, an we quote, "The biggest demonstration this state has ever seen to protest the president's visit."

The mayor joins me now by phone. Sir, I know you're in the middle of some protests there in Salt Lake outside that convention area. Tell me why you called for such a massive demonstration?

ROCKY ANDERSON, MAYOR, SALT LAKE CITY: Well, this country is headed in absolutely the wrong direction in so many ways with the most reckless fiscal policy, historic deficits, environmentally absolutely disastrous, going alone against the Kyoto Accord that was signed off on by every nation in the industrialized world except Australia and the United States.

The war in Iraq has been a disaster. We were led into the war based on lies and manipulation of intelligence. We know that now and the message today was that in all of these areas, the American people aren't going to stand for it anymore; that we need to see things turned around.

In terms of our energy policies, the status quo energy policy of this administration has been disastrous to consumers with higher oil prices, with many industries that depend on oil as their fuel. It creates greater dependence on foreign sources of oil and, of course, is itself environmentally disastrous. So...

PHILLIPS: Well, mayor, let me ask you -- I took notes, of course, during the president's speech. One thing he said is the only way to defend the homeland is to go after the terrorists where they live and that means fighting the terrorists abroad to prevent terrorism from happening here on our homeland. Do you agree with that?

ANDERSON: Well, you know, I agree that we need to go after those terrorists that attacked our homeland and that's exactly what this administration did not do. Instead of going after al Qaeda and Bin Laden, we went after Iraq.

There was no tie between Iraq and Bin Laden and that's one of the greatest lies out of this administration. We diverted our efforts to combat the real terrorists by going and invading a country that is far worse off now than it was before our invasion and by doing that, we have just simply created more enemies.

We have a less-safe world now and we have -- now we're approaching 2,000 of our servicemen and women killed in this unnecessary preemptive war. A war who's rationale, keeps changing. We were told that it was to get rid of weapons of mass destruction. There were no weapons of mass destruction. So, now we hear that we are conducting this war to save the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein. Well, he was captured what, over a year ago and people in throughout Iraq continue to be killed and suffering...

PHILLIPS: Mayor, let me ask you: How many soldiers, sailors, Marines have you lost -- individuals from Salt Lake city, Utah?

ANDERSON: We've -- I don't know the exact count, but we've lost a disproportionate number. In fact, one of our police officers was the first Utahan killed in the Iraqi conflict. It's absolutely tragic and I understand how these family members -- many of them, don't want anybody questioning why we're there.

That would mean that maybe their loved one didn't have to die. Maybe there wasn't a good reason for it. But we need honesty. We need to be respectful, but we also need to be informed and we need a president that will listen to the people and change the way that this nation is headed: Fiscally, environmentally, in terms of our relations with our long-time allies. All of that has been a disaster under this president and this Congress.

PHILLIPS: Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. Thank you for your time, sir.

ANDERSON: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in Washington to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Kyra. Coming up: No deal yet on a constitution in Iraq. The deadline, only one hour away.

The United States's ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, who's been intimately involved in trying to put this deal together, he joins us live. I'll ask him the tough questions

A terrorist apologies: Eric Rudolph confronted by the family of his victims. We'll find out what happened today in court.

And Olivia Newton John: Her boyfriend mysteriously disappeared in California. Police now suspect foul play and they're asking us for our help. They'd like your help as well. We'll have the story. That, much more coming up at the top of the hour right here in THE SITUATION ROOM -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Wolf.

Well, another timeless rocker has a new album coming out.

Eric Clapton's "Back Home" was inspired by the rigors of fatherhood. The legendary guitarist is a member of rock's royalty. He sat down with our Brooke Anderson for an exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a new family and a new album on the way, at 60 years old, guitarist Eric Clapton is still going strong.

(on camera): Sixty is the new 30, right?

ERIC CLAPTON, MUSICIAN: Well, I don't know. Well, maybe the new 40 and I think that might be stretching it.

I don't actually feel that much different. I'm quite happy. Actually, I feel more content now than I've ever done really. Even in -- well, like 40s and 50s seemed to be OK, but for me it just seems to be getting better.

ANDERSON (voice-over): He's releasing a new album next week, his first featuring all new material in nearly five years, the deeply personal, "Back Home."

CLAPTON: It's a statement of fact really about where I've come to in my life and having a new family and a wife that I adore, and great kids and it's really about that.

I mean, this is the first time really that I've been fully involved in raising a family. I mean, it's kind of a late-starter, and I love it.

ANDERSON (on camera): Changing diapers, teething?

CLAPTON: Well, I did that. I've been excused of that recently.

ANDERSON: Didn't you say a few years ago no more touring, I'm going to stop doing that, I'm retiring from touring?

CLAPTON: I find an excuse to quit about every two years, sometimes every year. You get to the end of the tour and you say goodbye to everybody, and I've even made speeches to the road crew.

ANDERSON: Wrap it up neatly.

CLAPTON: Just everything, you know, and, like, give presents, and it's like never going to see you again, and then six months later, you're thinking, oh man.

ANDERSON (voice-over): With everything that life has given him, Clapton is also no stranger to loss, from the sad 1991 death of his 4- year-old son Connor who accidentally fell from a New York high-rise in 1991 to the tragic loss of friends and collaborators.

CLAPTON: Well, to a certain extent, it's made me a little callous in that respect. You know, I've been saying goodbye to musicians all my life, you know, from Jimmy to Freddie King, and sometime I was very angry.

You know, in the early days when I didn't understand the nature of life, I would get very angry and bitter and, you know, and make it about me, you know. And, of course, it isn't like that. It's just the nature of our existence is that, you know, it's a constant saying goodbye to people.

ANDERSON (on camera): A lot of musicians say songwriting is therapeutic for them. Do you find that?

CLAPTON: I came from a place where it wasn't OK to have vulnerable feelings, you know. It was like I grew up with a shell around me. And to break that down and to be able to openly declare the way I feel about the woman I'm married to and my kids is a great thing, because then I have nothing to hide.

ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, caught in the line of fire -- one 13-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero for making himself a human shield to protect a younger girl.

We'll have his story next on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, New Yorkers are talking about a selfless act of courage today. Over the weekend, a 13-year-old Brooklyn boy used his own body to shield a young girl from a hail of bullets.

Thalia Batia (ph) with our affiliate WPIX has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THALIA BATIA, WPIX REPORTER (voice-over): The holes in his back where a single bullet tore through his flesh a reminder of his brush with death early yesterday morning.

ELLIS MERCADO, SHOOTING VICTIM: Ba, ba, ba -- it was like three gunshots, right, and the girl got -- I heard a girl scream, so I went over her.

BATIA: Mercado bravely shielded 10-year-old Destiny Liddy (ph) with his body. She was shot in her breast and arms.

Mercado says he didn't realize he had also been hit.

MERCADO: She was screaming and she was, like, leaking, leaking. She was bleeding a lot. So I grabbed around her and dragged her in the building.

BATIA: Mercado says he was visiting a friend just after midnight at 206 Newport Street and was sitting outside after getting his hair braided when the shots sprayed the front of the building.

Ten-year-old Destiny was spending the night with her aunt and uncle.

Mercado's father says his son's instinct was to save Destiny like she was one of his own sisters.

LUIS MERCADO, ELLIS' FATHER: I think he was just being human, you know, in his heart knowing that there was a life that could be taken besides his own. So I felt he was brave.

BATIA: A bullet also went through this living room window. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Today, people enjoying this beautiful day say this isn't the first time children have been caught in the crossfire. They want cops to clean up the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All we can do is just watch our kids and be safe.

CELESTE JOHNSON, NEIGHBOR: It's aggravating because you can't come outside and sit down without worrying about shooting, people coming around shooting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, investigators are looking into whether surveillance cameras near the scene captured the triggerman on tape. Police say they don't think the children were fired on intentionally. Neighbors believe the shootings were gang related.

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

That wraps up this edition of LIVE FROM.

I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

END

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