Former Texas High School Football Coaches Sued For Forcing Life-Threatening Workout

A former Texas high school football head coach and 12 other associates are in hot water after a former player’s mother filed a lawsuit for an alleged grueling workout session in 2023. The incident is still within the two-year window Texas law allows for those seeking damage compensation due to physical harm.

Rockwall County Herald-Banner’s Kent Miller wrote that Valencia Smith sued former Rockwall-Heath Hawks head coach John Harrell and his assistant coaches for the injuries caused by their excessive physical punishment.

According to a previously confidential report, the players were forced to complete more than 400 pushups in an hour due to minor infractions. What started as a routine strength and conditioning session turned into punishment as coaches penalized the players through additional pushups. Violations such as wearing the wrong attire or not showing enough “hustle” added to the punitive exercise.

The report also revealed that the excessive exercise led to at least 26 players having rhabdomyolysis. That condition could be fatal because muscle fiber from broken tissues is present in the blood.

Meanwhile, the confidential report produced after an independent investigation revealed more incriminating details about Harrell and his former staff. The former Texas high school football coach allegedly created a PowerPoint presentation about using pushups as punishment for minor violations.

Furthermore, the coaches had a private chat regarding player injuries and suggested blaming nutritional supplements as the culprit. However, a related medical investigation found no evidence of the players abusing supplements.

Sadly, some members of the Rockwell-Heath football community discouraged the affected players from speaking out. Their parents were also hesitant to seek legal action due to potential consequences.

The Hawks went 7-5 in Harrell’s lone season as Texas high school football head coach. He was on administrative leave during the investigation but resigned in March 2023. Meanwhile, other defendants in the lawsuit are Garret Campfield, Chance Casey, Alex Contreras, Joseph Haag, Lucas Lucero, Seth McBride, Cody Monson, Chadrick A. President, Jake Rogers, Joshua Rohmer, Brody Trahan, and Jordan Wallace.