After a hot day in late May 2018, Martin McNair’s life changed forever.

His son, Jordan McNair, a 19-year-old University of Maryland football player, was running sprints during a conditioning test, then collapsed.

He died two weeks later from heatstroke — his life cut short in what his father now calls a preventable tragedy.

“As a father who lost his son to heatstroke, I know firsthand the cost of inaction,” McNair said.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Now he’s joining U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume and U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks in a renewed push to make sure no other family has to endure the same heartbreak.

On Thursday, they introduced the Jordan McNair Student Athlete Heat Fatality Prevention Act, a bill that would require colleges and high schools to adopt emergency heat illness protocols — including defibrillators, cold water immersion tubs and clear action plans to respond when athletes overheat.

“It’s time we make athlete safety non-negotiable,” Martin McNair said in a news release.

Mfume and former U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin tried to get the bill passed in 2023, but, according to Congress’ website, it never made it out of committee.

“Jordan McNair would be 26 today. We must honor his memory by getting this legislation passed,” Alsobrooks said in the news release. She replaced Cardin in the U.S. Senate, after he decided not to seek reelection.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Heat-related illnesses are not unfamiliar to Marylanders. As of early July, at least 12 people had died from heat-related illness in 2025, according to state data. That is more than twice as many deaths as that time last year.

“Some of my fondest childhood memories were on the field playing football and Little League Baseball. Yet, for too many young athletes, these experiences turn into traumatic ones as they mourn the loss of their teammates — like Jordan McNair,” Mfume said in the news release.