A tragic story of the college football offseason has taken a troubling turn.

A CBS Sports investigation has found that Kent State is unable to produce documentation that shows head strength coach Ross Bowsher is properly certified. Tyler Heintz, a freshman offensive lineman on the team, died on June 13 after collapsing during the second day of team workouts, a period when the head strength coach is in charge of any supervised team activities.

According to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, if Bowsher was not certified at the time, the school violated NCAA Bylaw 11.1.5, which states that strength coaches “must maintain current certification through a nationally accredited strength and conditioning certification program.” The NCAA has required that strength and conditioning coaches must be certified since 2015.

Hyperthermia, high body temperature, was the cause of death for Heintz according to the Portage Country coroner’s office.

Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association executive director Chuck Stiggins speculated that hiring an uncertified trainer could lead to a massive liability lawsuit.

“Today, the way liability is, if you’re not certified by an accredited organization you’re walking on thin ice,”  Stiggins said. “Lawsuits could be $20 million-$30 million dollars. I can’t imagine hiring someone without the appropriate credentials.”

Kent State provided a statement to CBS Sports on the matter:

“We continue to mourn the loss of Tyler Heintz, and the Kent State family is focused on joining with the Heintz family in honoring the memory of Tyler in our thoughts and actions.

“Kent State University continues to assess and review all policies and practices relative to the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. It is premature to report the totality of our findings, but we remain steadfast in the due diligence of our review and our commitment to the safety and well-being of all student-athletes at Kent State University.”

The full report can be found here.