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A former Yale football captain died after Navy SEAL ‘Hell Week’ training

WSHU | By Desiree D'Iorio
Published February 8, 2022 at 7:06 PM EST
U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2018. SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Forces and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the sea, air and land.
Petty Officer 1st Class Abe McNatt
/
U.S. Navy photo
U.S. Navy SEAL candidates participate in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2018. SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Forces and are trained to conduct a variety of operations from the sea, air and land.

Kyle Mullen, a former captain of the Yale University football team, died just hours after he finished the intense physical test for aspiring Navy SEAL’s known as “Hell Week,” according to the Navy. He attended Yale from 2015 to 2018 and was named captain in 2018.

Mullen and a second sailor were hospitalized after finishing Hell Week, the grueling training session that is part of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, or “BUD/S.” The six-month course tests candidates’ physical and mental endurance. During Hell Week, candidates get a total of four hours of sleep.

Mullen, a 24-year-old from New Jersey, died Friday at a California hospital after successfully completing Hell Week. The cause of death is still under investigation. The second sailor is recovering, but the Navy has not released details on either candidate’s symptoms.

The last death to occur during the notorious BUD/S training course was in 2016, when a sailor drowned in a pool.

Copyright 2022 WSHU. To see more, visit WSHU.

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Desiree D'Iorio

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

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