Ex Texas high school football coach, assistants sued by mom claiming son was made to do 400 push-ups: 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 blame 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 the injured players.
Several parents told investigators that their kids were bullied at school by other students in an apparent attempt to prevent them from talking about their injuries stemming from the workout.
Though no formal criminal charges were ever filed against the former coach, Sawicki said that Harrell had previously settled two lawsuits with other parents whose children were affected by the workout.
The recent lawsuit against Harrell is the first time his former assistant coaches — Chadrick A. President, Seth McBride, Lucas Lucero, Joshua Rohmer, Chance Casey, Cody Monson, Jake Rogers, Joseph Haag, Garret Campfield, Alex Contreras Brody Trahan, and Jordan Wallace — were named. They were not listed in the previous two suits.
Sawicki claims that the dozen assistant coaches were added this time after he learned of their allegedly active roles during the intense workout — but he does not believe they knew the risk they put their players in while making them do the push-ups.
“I think it’s a function of not asking the right questions or ignoring the data that was already out there,” the lawyer told Fox 4.
Sawicki’s law firm was also hired to investigate the allegations, and it found that inappropriate workouts caused the student’s injuries.
The lawsuit also claims that the school athletic director warned coaches not to use physical exercise as punishment, saying it “can lead to major legal issues and consequences. ”
However, the coaching staff allegedly ignored the warning.
“The intent allegedly behind all of this was to impart discipline onto the students,” Sawicki said.
