High school coach faces criminal charges after player's death

Update -- Apparently, the kid's father was at the practice and watching people render aid to the first kid when his son went down.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009901250450

Also, the coach, his church and the coach's supporters have gone on the offensive (and I use that term in more ways than one). Coach speaks at a vigil held at his house, then a couple hundred people gather for a rally at the school, led by the coach's pastor.

Always great to see a church come in to muddy the waters and taint the jury pool.

 

I guess the question I have is could or should an experienced coach be able to tell the difference between a kid who is dogging it and somebody who really has something wrong with him?

 

Yeah, when in doubt, lean toward kids dying rather than kids possibly getting away with something at practice.

 

Unfortunately, there are far too many coaches who need to learn that lesson.

Sad that this thread and this story isn't getting nearly the attention that the 100-0 girls basketball bullshit is.

 

Nationally, OOP, this story is getting tons of juice.

Just wait until the wheels of the court system start moving this thing forward.

Is the NEA, for this guy's sake I hope he is a member, representing this coach?

 

Is he a teacher?

 

No way this guy gets convicted.

The attorneys are going to zero in on the kid's medical history. By his parents' own admission, he was taking Adderall, and he was taking creatine until a month before practice. (Assuming he told his parents the truth about his use.) One of the side effects of each of those substances is dehydration. Also, no autopsy was never performed. It's safe to guess heat stroke killed him, but in many cases the reason a player collapses is that he has undiagnosed heart trouble as well. I'm sure the lawyers will ask why only one other player collapsed, and why that player recovered quickly.

Even if the coach was being a jerk about it, if indeed the evidence showed that he was following state rules on water breaks during extreme heat -- and the school says he was, for whatever that's worth -- it's going to be hard to conclude he was reckless. A jerk, maybe. An asshole, to be sure. Reckless, maybe not. Note, too, that the only testimony the grand jury heard was from the Louisville police officer on the scene. The coach offered to testify and was turned down by the prosecution. Weird, because usually that's a great opportunity to watch a potential defendant hang himself.

Unfortunately for the parents, their child is dead, and they are now on a road where their parenting and their child's own history is going to be dragged through the mud in court. And probably, in the end, for nothing. Well, maybe they can shake a few sheckels from the school district.

 

A google search showed at one time he taught high school business.