Parents angry as Texas football practice sends students to hospital

[nightwing1240]

Parents of high school football players in Texas who needed medical attention because of a gruelling team workout said they were horrified by their children's treatment.

The students were forced to do nearly 400 push-ups without a water break, said Dr Osehotue Okojie, a parent of one student who had to go to hospital.

"It's been a nightmare of a week," she told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

The school's head football coach, John Harrell, has been placed on leave.

More than a dozen players had to go to hospital after the drill at Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, according to Dr Okojie.

She said her son came home from an off-season practice two weeks ago in pain and unable to lift his arms.

He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a medical condition that involves the breakdown of muscle tissue that causes the release of a damaging protein into the blood, she said. He spent a week in the hospital before coming home.

Link - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64305554
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I'm sorry, but this coach was put on leave? He should be fired and charged with endangerment. There is no excuse for this.

[brewens]

1. We had grueling two a day workouts in high school but always got water breaks. Even so, I was so

stiff and sore all the time for the first three days, I could barely do anything but eat and sleep between practices. That was the way it had to be. There was no way I was going to train hard enough the rest of the year to be in shape for that. That coach should be prosecuted.

[Best_man23]

2. Why are they working this hard now?

I played HS football in South Florida and we began workouts in January, but nowhere near this intense. Our workouts included weightlifting and running with coaches supervising, but not forcing. Our workouts were scheduled early morning before classes began.

What's described is something you're more likely to see during Two- (or in my case Three-) a-Day practices in August. Even then, we never did anything close to 400 push-ups and we were ALWAYS given access to water.

I agree the coach needs to be fired and potentially charged with child endangerment (if Texas still has that charge on its lawbooks).

[underpants]

6. Thought the same thing. Football is a year round sport now

Especially for those within reach of a scholarship or at big high school programs. Workouts, camps, etc all year round.

[FSogol]

3. Why wasn't he fired? He must have a winning record!

I wish this was sarcasm.

[3Hotdogs]

4. I got a better question: Why I there high school football, at all.

[gay texan]

5. in Texas, football is priority

no matter what.

Little Johnny cant read, but hes a good linebacker!

[2naSalit]

8. +1

An American institution that should die a hurried death.

[jimfields33]

9. Scholarships for college for one thing.

A lot of football players could never go to college otherwise. This is one coach out of a million. Most are tough but fair.

[tishaLA]

7. The stories online are insane

there was a recent meeting where a bunch of the players and parents showed up to say that gosh, what happened was terrible, but the coach is a really good coach and he needs to be back with the team. And of course people are accusing the players who were hospitalized of being "soft," so if the inept sadistic coach ends up being fired, the kids are going to pay the price for it with endless hazing.

The ironic part is that, this being TX, if the parents had tried to get gender-affirming care for the kids CPS would have involved itself more quickly than it did when a GD football coach got kids hospitalized because he wants to win an extra game.

[CanonRay]

10. If the team doesn't win, they will fire him

But if they go 11-0 it'll be glossed over because he made them tough.