Illinois guard Matthew Mayer hilariously misses practice after downing 6 ENERGY DRINKS- All you need to know about his condition
There is no gold standard for why players should or should not end up on the injury report. However, "caffeine sickness" is a new one that Illinois forward Matthew Mayer stumbled upon.
This illness is what forced the standout wing to miss two days of practice this week. Mayer said he ingested six Monster energy drinks as he played video games following the Fighting Illini's 72-60 loss at Ohio State on Sunday. The Baylor transfer drank one Monster energy drink before the game and five after as he likes to play video games in "a caffeine-induced euphoria."
As he put it in full when speaking to reporters:
"I've actually been sick the last few days. I had caffeine poisoning. I literally had six Monsters the day of the game. I only had one before, but I had five after because I like a caffeine-induced euphoria to play video games in. ... I could barely get out of bed the next day. It was basically like a caffeine hangover."
#Illini Matthew Mayer was out sick since the Ohio State with "caffeine poisoning" after drinking 6 energy drinks. https://t.co/VNU8n5QXuQ
For what it is worth, it is recommended that adults intake no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine on a daily basis, according to the Mayo Clinic. A 16-ounce Monster energy drink contains 160 miligrams of caffeine, so Mayer exceeded this in a major way.
Mayer and Illinois struggling lately
While it is fortunate that Mayer did not have to miss any game time, Illinois (19-10, 10-8 Big Ten) cannot afford to have these types of issues at this stage in the year.
Despite having high hopes coming into the season, the Illini have failed to look like contenders as expected and have stumbled down the stretch. Illinois is just 3-4 over its last seven games and will have tough matchups with Michigan (17-12, 11-7) and fifth-ranked Purdue (24-5, 13-5) to close out the regular season.
Mayer has averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds, ranking second on the team in scoring. The former NCAA champion is in his final year of eligibility and was brought in with the hopes he could provide experience.
Hopefully, Mayer can cut down on his energy drink intake and remain focused on basketball as the NCAA Tournament rapidly approaches. Illinois is still a talented team capable of making some noise, but they will need high-level play from Mayer if they are to have success.