A Texas mother is suing her son’s former football coach for allegedly pushing his players through tough workouts, which led to her child being hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening medical condition.
Former Rockwall-Heath High School coach John Harrell and a dozen assistant coaches were named in a lawsuit alleging they made players perform nearly 400 push-ups in one hour without rest or water breaks on January 6, 2023. Was forced to up. Rockwall County Herald Banner,
Coaches reportedly used harsh workouts to discipline players for not showing enough “hustle” on the field and similar infractions.
The workouts were reportedly so burdensome on the boys that at least 26 players were found to have symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, also known as “rhabdo” – a potentially fatal medical condition that causes the breakdown of muscle tissue and muscle fiber material. Leads to the release of. In the blood.
Angry mother claims her son spent seven days in hospital, According to Fox 4.
The attorney representing the parents, Mike Sawicki, said his client’s son could have suffered “kidney failure” if it was not treated and could have caused significant “potential harm.”
“It’s not like I’ve stubbed my toe or it’s not like I’ve twisted it a bit after some fast running. “This is a potentially long-term, life-impacting injury, and it’s not something you deal with vigorously,” Sawicki told the local TV station.
“Coach Harrell wrote the program that said any minor infractions for various reasons would result in these push-ups.”
Harrell was placed on administrative leave from the school, located about 25 miles east of Dallas, following the January 2023 allegations and resigned as coach two months later.
The lawsuit references the findings of the district’s prior confidential report.
That investigation revealed that coaches discussed students’ injuries in private messages and indicated that nutritional supplements may have been responsible for the injuries. The Rockwall County Herald Banner reported.
The confidential report also alleged that some coaches had actively tried to undermine the credibility of injured players.
Several parents told investigators that their children were bullied by other students at school to prevent them from talking about injuries resulting from exercise.
Although no formal criminal charges were ever filed against the former coach, Sawicki said Harrell had previously settled two lawsuits with other parents whose children were affected by the workouts.
The recent lawsuit against Harrell marks the first time that his former assistant coach – Chadrick A. The lawsuit has been filed against President, Seth McBride, Lucas Lucero, Joshua Roemer, Chance Casey, Cody Monson, Jake Rogers, Joseph Haag, Garrett Campfield, Alex Contreras Brody Trahan and Jordan. Wallace – were nominated. They were not listed in the previous two lawsuits.
Sawicki claims a dozen assistant coaches were added this time around after learning of their alleged active roles during intense workouts – but he doesn’t believe they knew he was training his players while making them do push-ups. How much risk was put into it.
“I think this is an act of not asking the right questions or ignoring data that already exists,” the attorney told Fox 4.
Sawicki’s law firm was also hired to investigate the allegations and found that improper workouts caused the student’s injuries.
The lawsuit also claims that the school’s athletic director warned coaches not to use physical exercises as punishment, saying it could “lead to major legal issues and consequences.”
However, the coaching staff reportedly ignored the warning.
“The intent behind all this was allegedly to discipline students,” Sawicki said.
(TagstoTranslate)US News(T)Weird Sports Injuries(T)High School Football(T)Lawsuits(T)Medical Disorders(T)Texas
