- Invoking federal privacy regulations, she declined to discuss the specifics of those injuries.
- Several student-athletes from football team had to be hospitalised.
- Student safety is a top priority for Rockwall ISD.
Several student-athletes from a Texas high school football team had to be hospitalised following a demanding off-season workout, according to officials, and the coach was fired this week.
Following the practise a week ago Friday that resulted in player hospitalisations, Rockwall-Heath High School coach John Harrell was placed on paid administrative leave on Tuesday, according to a statement provided to NBC News on Friday by Rockwall Independent School District representative Renae Murphy.
Invoking federal privacy regulations, she declined to discuss the specifics of those injuries.
Todd Bradford, the school’s principal, revealed this in a letter to the parents of football players, saying that “student-athletes were expected to execute several push-ups,” and that as a result, “student(s) needed medical treatment, and in some cases, hospitalisation.”
Bradford promised that the district will “thoroughly investigate any connection between the activities in class and student illnesses” and will retain “an independent third-party to investigate the event.”
“Student safety is a top priority for Rockwall ISD and we will continue to take immediate and appropriate measures in the best interests of our students as we address this situation,” Bradford added.
Approximately 25 miles northeast of Dallas’s central business district, Harrell also serves as the school’s athletic coordinator. His responsibilities as head football coach and athletic director of the high school are both covered by the paid leave.
On Friday, it was impossible to immediately reach Harrell for comment.
When he was appointed head varsity coach in January 2022, the Hawks had a 7-5 record.
On November 17, the Hawks’ final contest of the year ended in a 52-7 defeat to DeSoto High School in the 6A Division II playoffs. DeSoto eventually won the divisional championship.
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