Coach found not guilty in death of player(heat related)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

A jury Thursday acquitted a former Louisville, Kentucky, high school football coach of all charges connected to the heat-related death of a player last year.

The jury found former Pleasure Ridge Park football coach David Jason Stinson not guilty of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in the death of 15-year-old Max Gilpin, who collapsed during a practice on August 20, 2008. The teenager died three days later.

Gilpin's body temperature reached 107 degrees, officials say.

Stinson also was acquitted on a charge of wanton endangerment.

Prosecutors alleged that Stinson ran a tough practice on a hot day that made several of his players sick.


Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/17/kentucky.coach.trial/index.html

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Coach may have been negligent but I don't think this should have been a criminal case. Better suited IMHO for civil court.

[elocs]

1. Sad. It's happened before. Even sadder: it will happen again.

Is football or any other sport worth someone's life?

[lagavulin]

5. In Texas I'm pretty sure they believe it is. nt

[hamsterjill]

15. Yeppers - Football is King in Texas!

As a Texan, this story made my blood boil. What I've seen many, many times in high school football is the hugh egos of the coaches, many of whom have a long-standing rivalry with other high school coaches. They will do just about anything to win, at the expense of the young players. It's not about the kids or the schools, it's about one coach being able to brag to other coaches, etc. It's about old guys who can't play any more living vicariously through the youngsters.

And information about how dangerous football practice can be in such hot weather has been published rampantly down here at the start of every school year.

I believe a civil suit has been filed by the boy's parents against the coach and the school. Will be interesting to see the outcome of the civil action.

[TheCML]

2. I saw a news piece

With people commenting on this story, and one mans comment was just "football is a tough sport" it made my stomach turn. Im a huge fan of football, but its not that important.

[virgogal]

3. If he had been found guilty we would have no coaches left. The

other players survived the treatment but this young man's body apparently rebelled.

Very,very sad.

[BlueJazz]

4. The fact that He denied them water would had clinched a "Guilty" from me

[quiller4]

7. That "fact" was refuted by other players in court. n/t

[BlueJazz]

13. I stand corrected. My Local news reported that He denied the players water.

Thanks!

[shadowknows69]

10. +1. My niece is in middle school/high school sports and has told me similar stories.

ETA-not fatalities but coaches denying kids water and pushing them too hard

[bluedigger]

6. I agree, RL.

A tragedy for sure, but I don't think criminal charges were called for. I imagine the coach will pay psychologically for the rest of his life. (huh, on espn right now. Civil suit is pending, and coach wants to coach again. DA hopes the case makes every other coach think.) Fair enough.:shrug:

[Spinzonner]

8. At the very least sounds Over charged

[Sienna86]

9. If I was on the jury, I would have voted guilty

Based on the information I have heard, guilty would have been my vote. None of us were able to sit in the court room, so I have to base it on the testimony reported. Testimony was offered by a student that some of the kids were crying and vomiting; and that testimony was refuted by another student. How difficult would it be, as a male football player in high school, to admit that on the stand. Or maybe this reaction was limited and not noted by all the students on the field. As a parent of a child playing football, I place the life of my child in the coach's hands. I expect the coach to make a reasonable effort to protect the health and well-being of my child. My opinion is that the coach was reckless, or negligent, in performing the his responsibilities. A high school boy who is 15 cannot be left to make their own choices regarding rest and water, especially when the pressure of "pushing your limits" is placed upon them.

[TheMadMonk]

14. Guilt is not to be determined by what you heard in the street or read in the papers.

It's determined using the whole body of evidence presented in the courtroom, and unfortunately the prosecutor's reach exceeded their grasp. The defense was able to introduce enough doubt to sway the jury.

[MichaelHarris]

11. take a salt

tablet and walk it off, man back in the day I heard that a lot.

[marshall]

12. The family knew the boy was at risk because of his prescription medication

I saw footage of a woman described as Gilpin's "former stepmother"--she said he was sick the night before. I wondered which side she was testifying for. If they family knew he was sick, didn't they bear some responsibility to pull him out of the practice?