Kentucky High School Football Coach Is Deemed Innocent

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32902379/ns/local_news-lexington_ky/

David Stinson, a high school football coach in Kentucky was found not guilty by a court of law Thursday. MSNBC said he was being tried for the death of 15 year old Max Gilpon. Gilpon and the rest of his football teammates were running sprints, also known as gassers. The day Gilpon passed away was a considerably hot day and the temperature was reaching the mid 90’s. Gilpon and his teammates had to run extra sprints as punishment for not practicing hard enough the day before. During these sprints Gilpon passed out on the field and was rushed to the hospital, three days later he died from problems obtained by heat stroke. During these sprints others were having trouble too. Some of Gilpon’s teammates were vomiting and others were claiming they weren’t able to complete the drill because of injuries. This was one of the major points that the prosecutors were trying to establish to convict Coach David Stinson. Stinson’s attorneys were trying to prove that this was not that uncommon of a practice. They had teammates testifying that they only ran a few more sprints than normal that day. They also used Gilpon’s stepmother and fellow classmates; they said that Gilpon had told them that he was not feeling well that day. These are some of the facts that played a huge role in Coach Stinson’s deliberation and not guilty verdict.

My first thought was I think that it would be hard to convict a football coach for the death of one his players. Football is a game about being and working as a team. Coach Stinson didn’t just punish this kid to make a point. He punished the whole team for not practicing hard enough the day before. I feel very sorry for his family, and I hope they can forgive this coach for what I believe to be an accident.

Several times I have been in football practice and have almost vomited as well. The article stated that the player was suffering from some kind of illness earlier that day, and that his medications could have been part of the cause of his death. I understand the coach’s point of view and the parents as well. Of course the coach wants to push his players as far as he can so they can reach their full potential. The parents want to make sure their children are safe, especially during organized sports.

In conclusion, I think this article can bring to your attention the dangers of pushing their student athletes to their breaking point. I hope many coaches can and will change some of their coaching styles in order to keep their players safe, particularly on hot days. Frequent water breaks and close observation will help these coaches determine these techniques.