Ex-school coach accused of forcing students to do 400 push-ups as punishment

• A lawsuit accuses former Rockwall-Heath High School head football coach John Harrell and 12 other coaches of negligent discipline after a January 2023 practice that left 26 players injured
• According to a report prepared by the law firm contained in the complaint, 26 student-athletes were diagnosed with or had symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, a muscle disease.
• The plaintiff demands compensation of 250,000 dollars

The mother of a Texas high school athlete has filed a lawsuit against her son’s former head football coach and 12 other coaches, alleging they disciplined 26 players during a January 2023 practice.

According to a complaint filed Monday, Dec. 23, in the 439th District Court of Rockwall County, according to Dallas Morning News and later seen by PEOPLE, John Harrell, the former head football coach at Rockwall Heath High School, was among 13 named as defendants accused of negligent discipline.

The complaint alleged that the student-athlete suffered serious injuries as a result of alleged punishments handed out by coaches at Rockwall Heath High School during practice.

The complaint also states that the Rockwall Independent School District hired the law firm Adams, Lynch and Loftin PC (AL&L) to investigate the coaches’ alleged actions after several student-athletes were hospitalized for rhabdomyolysis — described by the Cleveland Clinic as a condition in which muscles break down, possibly leading to muscle death and kidney damage.

According to the AL&L investigative report cited in the complaint, approximately 26 student-athletes were diagnosed with or had symptoms of rhabdomyolysis.

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Parents told Dallas Morning News during the alleged incident, the players were required to do 300 to 400 push-ups within an hour and without water breaks.

The push-ups, according to the complaint, served as a form of punishment for infractions such as “improper attire,” “attitudes and negative interactions with coaches and peers,” and “not ‘fussing.’ »

The complaint also said that based on the investigative report, coaches were warned “not to use exercise as a form of punishment.” The report included an email from Russ Reeves, the Rockwall Independent School District’s athletic director, who told coaches that doing so “…could lead to serious legal issues and consequences…”

Mike Sawicki, an attorney representing the student-athlete’s mother, who provided PEOPLE with a copy of the AL&L complaint and report, told the Fox affiliate KDFW that Harrell had written a program stating that any infraction would result in push-ups as a form of punishment.

“The problem is that it’s a real, potential harm,” Sawicki told KDFW. — It’s not “I stubbed my toe” or “I got a little distracted after a few sprints.” It’s a potentially life-affecting, long-term injury, and you’re not going to just take it.”

The complaint accused Harrell of negligent discipline, saying he should have known that ordering a student to “exercise excessively without water or rest would result in injury.”

Harrell was also accused in the lawsuit of failing to monitor the student’s safety during discipline, of failing to ensure the safety of children under his supervision during practice, and of ignoring the athletic director’s instructions not to use “corporal punishment” as form of training. discipline.

According to AL&L’s report, student-athletes and their parents did not hesitate to speak up after a “whisper campaign” began against them, the complaint states.

Harrell resigned as Rockwall-Heath’s head football coach in March 2023 after being placed on administrative leave, KDFW reported, adding that no criminal charges have been filed.

Savitsky, who represents the interests of the plaintiff, said Dallas Morning News that attempts to settle the matter out of court were unsuccessful, leading to the filing of the lawsuit.

“The defendants refused to make any effort to resolve the case,” Savitskyi told the newspaper. “The two-year statute of limitations is coming up in January, and we haven’t been able to get a response from them about settling the case without filing a lawsuit.”

PEOPLE reached out to the attorney representing Harrell on Thursday, Dec. 26. Harrell previously declined to comment when contacted Dallas Morning News.