Ex Texas high school football coach, assistants sued by mom claiming her son was made to do 400 push-ups in grueling punishment workout: suit
A Texas mom is suing her son’s former football coach for allegedly making his players perform a grueling workout that caused her child to be 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 that they made players do nearly 400 push-ups with no rest or water break in an hour on Jan.6.
2023, according to the Rockwall County Herald Banner.The coaches allegedly used the rigorous workout to discipline the players for not showing enough “hustle” on the field and for uniform infractions.The workout was reportedly so taxing on the boys that at least 26 players were diagnosed or had symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, also known as “rhabdo” — a potentially fatal medical condition that causes the breakdown of muscle tissue and leads to the release of muscle fiber contents into the blood.The outraged mother claims that her son spent seven days in a hospital, according to Fox 4.The attorney representing the parent, Mike Sawicki, said his client’s son could have faced “kidney failure” if it went untreated and could have caused significant “potential harm.”“This is not, I stubbed my toe or this is not I’m a little winded after running some sprints.
This is a potentially long-term, life-affecting injury, and it’s not something you’re just going to tough out,” Sawicki told the local TV station.“Coach Harrell wrote the program that said any little infraction for all sorts of different 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 findings from a previously confidential report by the district.
That investigation revealed that coaches discussed students’ injuries in private messages and hinted that nutritional supplements may be to...