HS Player Collapses, Coach Faces Homicide Charges

[GMScud]

That's a very sad situation. I do not think the coach should be charged though. There were plenty of times when I played high school football that the coaches said, "no water until you..." fill in the blank. Did I sweat, puke, and feel totally exhausted? Sure.

If this kid collapsed with 107 degree body temperatures and none of the other players had adverse affects, I wouldn't call the coaching behavior reckelss. It's a shame, but not worthy of homicide charges.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by GMScud

That's a very sad situation. I do not think the coach should be charged though. There were plenty of times when I played high school football that the coaches said, "no water until you..." fill in the blank. Did I sweat, puke, and feel totally exhausted? Sure.

If this kid collapsed with 107 degree body temperatures and none of the other players had adverse affects, I wouldn't call the coaching behavior reckelss. It's a shame, but not worthy of homicide charges.

One person having a heat stroke is not uncommon because of all the factors that can cotribute. Maybe he was out drinking the night before maybe he did not hit the water when needed etc etc.

[GMScud]

One thing to remember is there is strong precedence here. It's unfortunate, but there have been plenty of cases in recent years of kids collapsing on practice fields and dying shortly after. I don't recall any other coaches facing prosecution. Did Mike Tice face homicide charges when Kory Stringer collapsed? Sure, the Vikings had a civil suit against them, but not murder. It's a shitty situation, but to prosecute the coach for homicide is too much.

From what I can tell, no other kids on the team were having heat related issues or adverse symptoms. And from what little I read, it doesn't seem like this coach has any history that would cause red flags or concern from the school or parents. Plus he briefly played in the NFL, so understands what players deal with.

Anyway, my point is homicide charges are excessive, and the precedence in cases like this backs that up.