We recently saw a mom suing a high school and her case literally looks strong because many believe that it is actually the school staff that is in the wrong. Yes, we’re talking about the Rockwall-Heath High School case where the ex-football coach John Harrell and 12 assistant coaches are involved in a legal mess, and this is not looking good for them. But by reading this, you must be wondering what so wrong things they did to deserve this. Well, a LOT actually! According to her (the parent who is suing the school), they told her son and the other players to do nearly 400 push-ups in an hour without letting them rest or drink water. 400 pushups? Without water and proper rest? That’s just purely insane!! Though, as per the details that are already out, you see, on January 6, 2023, the workout was used as punishment for not trying hard enough or not following the rules for their uniform.
And it is not a surprise that after that super intense workout, many players began to feel ill. Some players went to the hospital as they were in too much pain. We all know that a 400 pushups workout is actually too intense for literally anybody, let alone high school students. So it is not a surprise that some of them fell sick, and they had to be hospitalized after that. Some of them even found out they had a serious condition known as rhabdomyolysis, which is when the muscles break down too much and release harmful substances into the blood, and this is another big alarm that was going off in this lawsuit. The mom who is suing says that the hospital kept her child for a week. She is now suing for damages in excess of $250,000, simple as that. But super important as well.
Who’s To Really Blame And What They’re Saying
Well, so far, we know that the lawsuit mainly identifies Coach Harrell, but it also states that 12 assistant coaches were present when the workout occurred. Like, the mother, through her lawyer, claims the coaches were told by the school’s athletic director. And just so you know, a ban on the punishment used in workouts has already been placed by the AD (Athletic Director).
And yes, you should really get to know what the coaches are saying. Like, you expect them to be sorry about this case and all that, right? Nah! They’re actually sticking up, the coaches say they did nothing wrong in the incident. Yes, that’s their response so far. The lawyer for Harrell said they attempted to settle early on. And just so you know, also, they say some of the assistant coaches who are getting sued weren’t even at the workout.
Do you think like this is the first time this school has gotten in legal trouble? Well, you should know that Harrell has had trouble a number of times in the past as well. Like, back in September 2023, two other parents sued him for something similar. And how did that go? Well, so far we know that the two lawsuits didn’t make any noise and settled in September 2023, but in this instance, the insurance company did not settle, so the lawsuit is currently ongoing, and STRONG.
Investigation Was Done! What Findings Were Made Then?
Since it is a severe case that caused a lot of pain and discomfort to the students, sure enough, the school district started investigating the incident once the players started feeling ill one after the other. You know like they said the workouts weren’t planned out and were actually pretty dangerous. It is true that it wasn’t Harrell himself who caused the injury to the students, but he was THE ONE to push these kids to the absolute limits, so much so that many of them had to be hospitalized.
Investigators also discovered that certain assistant coaches were blaming the subsequent health issues and the supplements rather than the workout itself, which was pretty intensive, but as per them, that was not the problem at all. And we won’t know about it anytime soon since they messaged privately about it there was no proof to the contrary so some said they were not guilty.
They found out that players who talked about their injuries were bullied, which was surprising. Like, a parent said their children get called names on the internet and team chats. Due to this, students did not report their injuries in fear, you know? That’s understandable!
To ensure these incidents will never happen again, the report recommended hiring a certified strength and conditioning coach, so that students are never pushed way beyond their limits, so much so that it is actually harmful to their health. And yes, plus, ensure the athletic staff gets more training.
How Have The School and Community Reacted So Far?
As you can already imagine, once students began falling ill, the school placed Coach Harrell on administrative leave, which is when someone is prevented from working for a short time, and that was a good decision. Though, keep in mind that a few months later, he chose to quit.
However, many parents and students were on Harrell’s side. Really? Yes, parents and pupils wore “Keep Harrell” shirts to a school board meeting as they believed he was still a good coach. On the other hand though, some parents, however, were really angry, thinking their kids were not being taken care of well and their safety was at risk.
In another way, it affected the injured players and their families both physically and mentally, but how exactly? Well, as per the details, some of the students were quite afraid to do so anymore because there was quite an attention on them from classmates and social media.
So, What Exactly Is Next In This Case?
The conclusion hasn’t come yet in this lawsuit, so yes, this Rockwall-Heath High School Football Lawsuit thing is still going on. If you hear from the legal experts, they say that it could take a long time and even years to complete. If the mother wins, the parents of the players involved could get money for medical and other expenses and this way a big win since this case will ensure that such things don’t happen to other students in the country. Like, yes, this could prevent coaches from punishing players with workouts going forward.