Lawsuit: High School Coaches Injured Players With Push-Up Order

UPDATE Jan 8, 2025 3:00 AM CST

A parent of one of the students involved in a 2023 high school football practice that allegedly included 398 push-ups is now suing the coaches allegedly involved. Investigators found 26 students had symptoms of rhabdomyolysis after the workout, and a dozen of those met the criteria to be diagnosed with the dangerous condition, the Washington Post reports. Some were hospitalized after seeking emergency care. Head coach John Harrell was placed on leave and ultimately resigned after the incident, but some of the other 11 coaches named in the suit are still employed by the school. Not all of them were present at the practice in question. Harrell's attorney says her client and the other coaches are protected under Texas law.

Jan 18, 2023 3:01 AM CST

Multiple student-athletes had to be hospitalized after a Texas high school football practice held on Jan. 6, and after outrage from parents, the state Department of Family and Protective Services is investigating. Rockwall-Heath High School placed Coach John Harrell on leave after the offseason football workout, which involved hundreds of push-ups, WFAA reports. The school district has also hired an independent third party to investigate, CBS Sports reports. At least 15 students reportedly needed some form of medical attention; at least two of the students who were hospitalized stayed for nearly a week. It's not clear exactly how many students required medical treatment or hospitalization.

Several players were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis or "rhabdo," a dangerous condition in which muscle tissue is damaged and starts to break down, then releases a harmful protein into the blood. "It's a very serious condition. It can lead to cardiac complications, kidney failure, and even dialysis," says the mother of one boy who was hospitalized, who is also a family physician. A source tells Fox 4 students were made to do 300 push-ups as punishment, during an hour in which no breaks and no water were given, and parents who spoke to WFAA say the football players made 23 mistakes during their prescribed workout and were assigned 16 push-ups per mistake. (More Texas stories.)