Albany State football player who died hadn't been cleared to play

ALBANY - The Albany State University football player who collapsed and died on his first day of practice had not been cleared to play, according to the school&#39;s physical evaluation. <br> <br> Jackie Blanding&#39;s preseason physical exam said he couldn&#39;t participate in football until he had a follow-up exam for hypertension, The Albany Herald reported Thursday. Records of the initial exam were obtained through a Georgia Open Records Act request. <br> <br> Blanding&#39;s file doesn&#39;t show he had the follow-up exam. <br> <br> But his name was not on a list of players who couldn&#39;t practice, said coach Mike White. <br> <br> Albany State is conducting an internal investigation into the 26-year-old&#39;s death, said Walter Kimbrough, vice president for student affairs. Kimbrough said he didn&#39;t know how Blanding got to practice if he hadn&#39;t been cleared by physicians. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re trying to get that information as well,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We&#39;re looking at the entire process.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> An NCAA rule effective Aug. 1 requires that all players receive a physical exam before they can participate. <br> <br> Blanding, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound defensive lineman, died Aug. 7 of natural causes from swelling of a diseased heart, according to Dougherty County Deputy Coroner Jack Camp.