A Texas mother has sued her son's former football coach for allegedly making his players perform a grueling drill that caused her child to be hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening medical condition.
Former Rockwall-Heath High School coach John Harrell and dozens of assistant coaches are named in a lawsuit alleging they made players do nearly 400 push-ups without a rest or water break in one hour on Jan. 6, 2023, according to Rockwall. County Herald Banner.
The coaches allegedly used strict drills to discipline players for not showing enough “activity” on the field and for uniform violations.
The training was reportedly so grueling for the boys that at least 26 players were diagnosed with or showed symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, also known as “rhabdo” – a potentially fatal medical condition that causes muscle tissue to break down and results in the release of muscle fiber contents. In the blood.
The angry mother claims that her son spent seven days in the hospital, according to Fox 4.
The lawyer representing the father, Mike Sawicki, said his client's son could have faced “kidney failure” if untreated and could have caused significant “potential harm.”
“This is not, 'I stubbed my toe' or 'This is not that I'm feeling a little fatigued after doing some sprints. This is probably going to be a long-term, life-impacting injury, and it's not something you're going to go through,'” Sawicki told the local TV station.
“Coach Harrell wrote the program that said any simple infraction for all kinds of different reasons would lead to these pressures.”
Harrell was placed on administrative leave from the school located about 25 miles east of Dallas after the January 2023 allegations and resigned as coach two months later.
The lawsuit cites the findings of an earlier confidential report issued by the district.
That investigation revealed that coaches discussed students' injuries in private messages and insinuated that nutritional supplements may be responsible for the injuries, the Rockwall County Herald Banner reported.
The confidential report also claimed that some coaches tried hard to undermine the credibility of the injured players.
Several parents told investigators that their children were bullied at school by other students in an apparent attempt to prevent them from talking about their exercise-related injuries.
Although no formal criminal charges have been filed against the former coach, Sawicki said Harrell previously settled two lawsuits with other parents whose children were affected by the workout.
The latest lawsuit against Harrell is the first time his former aides — Chadrick A. President, Seth McBride, Lucas Lucero, Joshua Romer, Chance Casey, Cody Munson, Jake Rogers, Joseph Haag, Garrett Campfield, Alex Contreras Brody Trahan, Jordan. Wallace – They were named. They were not included in the previous two suits.
Sawicki claims dozens of assistant coaches were added this time after learning of their alleged active roles during intense training – but he does not believe they were aware of the risks they were exposing their players to as they did push-ups.
“I think this is a function of not asking the right questions or ignoring the data that already exists,” the attorney told Fox 4.
The Sawicki law firm was also hired to investigate the allegations, and found that improper training caused the student's injury.
The lawsuit also alleges that the school's athletic director warned coaches against using physical exercises as punishment, saying it “could lead to significant legal problems and consequences.” ”
However, the coaching staff allegedly ignored the warning.
“The alleged intent behind all of this is to impose discipline on students,” Sawicki said.
