Jury finds Coach not guilty on all counts after player’s death

A few weeks ago, I blogged about Kentucky High School football coach David Jason Stinson, who was the coach of the high school program where a player of his collapsed and subsequently died during football practice at the high school.  Yesterday, Stinson was acquitted of all charges stemming from the player’s death.  The following is an excerpt from the ESPN.com article:

A former Kentucky high school football coach was found not guilty Thursday in the death of a player who collapsed at a practice where the team was put through a series of sprints on a hot summer day.

Attorneys said the case was the first time a football coach was charged in the death of a player. It was closely watched by those involved in youth athletics and has already resulted in changes to Kentucky law and other efforts to make practices safer for athletes.

Former Pleasure Ridge Park High School coach David Jason Stinson, 37, was charged after 15-year-old Max Gilpin collapsed at an August 2008 practice as the team ran a series of sprints known as “gassers.” He died three days later at a Louisville hospital of heat stroke, sepsis and multiple organ failure. His temperature reached at least 107 degrees.

The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes, and Stinson hugged defense attorney Brian Butler after the verdict was read.

“That’s why they came back quickly, because he was innocent,” said Butler, who characterized the prosecution on charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment as a “witch hunt.” Stinson left without speaking to reporters.

During the trial, players said Stinson ordered the gassers as punishment for the lack of effort they showed at practice on a day where the temperature and heat index were both 94 degrees.

Prosecutors relied on a series of Gilpin’s teammates who testified that several teens became ill during the gassers, vomiting or bowing out with ailments.

Several experts testified that Gilpin suffered from exertional heat stroke, which led to his death. One witness, University of Connecticut associate professor Douglas Casa, testified Gilpin could have been saved if he’d been immersed in ice water almost immediately after collapsing.

Stinson’s defense relied on players who testified that they only ran a few more wind sprints than normal that day. Three of Gilpin’s classmates, along with his stepmother, testified that Gilpin complained of not feeling well throughout the day he collapsed.

Coach takes players to church for a team outing

The head football coach at Breckinridge County High School took about 20 players on a school bus late last month to his church, where nearly half of them were baptized, school officials say.

The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service — and that the school district’s superintendent was there and did not object.

“Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,” said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.

“He said it would bring the team together,” Robert, a sophomore, said in an interview.

Two other parents, however, said in interviews that their sons told them that Mooney had said the voluntary outing to Franklin Crossroads Baptist Church in Hardin County would include a revival.

Mooney, contacted by phone, said school district officials instructed him not to comment.

But Superintendent Janet Meeks, who is a member of the church and witnessed the baptisms, said she thinks the trip was proper because attendance was not required, and another coach paid for the gas.

Meeks said parents weren’t given permission slips to sign but knew the event would include a church service, if not specifically a baptism. She said eight or nine players came forward and were baptized.

“None of the players were rewarded for going and none were punished for not going,” Meeks said.

David Friedman, general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said in an interview that the trip would appear to violate Supreme Court edicts on the separation of church and state — even if it was voluntary and the school district didn’t pay for the fuel.

Article continued here.

Commonwealth of Kentucky v. David Jason Stinson: Should Coaches be held Criminally Liable for Athletes’ Deaths?

Professor Michael McCann from the Vermont School of Law has a column up on SI.com about this case that could reach high-school coaches across America. The excerpt from the Sports Law Blog is below:

I have a column on SI.com concerning the first case in which a high school coach has been criminally charged with a player’s death. The trial will begin on Monday. Here’s an excerpt of the column:

* * *

Former Pleasure Ridge High School (Louisville, Ky.) football coach Jason Stinson faces charges for reckless homicide and wanton endangerment, felonies which each carry maximum five-year prison sentences, for the August 2008 death of sophomore offensive lineman Max Gilpin. Gilpin collapsed at the end of a series of wind sprints held in allegedly 94-degree temperatures. When taken to the emergency room, Gilpin’s body temperature was reportedly 107 degrees. Gilpin died three days later.

Other facts remain in dispute and will be contested during Stinson’s trial, which is scheduled to begin on Monday. According to prosecutors, Stinson, despite having been trained on the dangers of heat-related illnesses, subjected Gilpin to “barbaric conditioning” in the form of the sprints, which Stinson allegedly used to punish and motivate underperforming players. There are also conflicting reports as to whether, and to what extent, Stinson allowed players to drink water during certain moments of practice.

* * *

. . . [I]f Stinson is convicted or pleads guilty to a lesser offense that carries a prison sentence, his case could produce major changes in high school football and high school sports in general. It could, for instance, compel high school coaches and school districts to treat players with much more care, and to provide them with added safeguards, such as ensuring that trainers are on-hand at all times, that coaches have undergone extensive sensitivity training, and that purportedly harsh practice conditions (e.g., denying a player water at any time; ordering sprints in hot and humid conditions) be eliminated. Practices could thus become more safe though also more regulated and potentially more costly, including for the taxpayers who fund local sports.

Stinson’s case may also force coaches and school districts to condition the playing of sports on players’ passage of rigorous, possibly invasive health tests. While players are already subject to physicals, the prospect of criminal sanction and prison time accompanying the death of a player may spur coaches to demand greater certainty of players’ physical health. In that same vein, the profession of high school football coaching may take a hit. If a player’s death on the practice field can lead to a coach facing criminal prosecution, the profession suddenly becomes a much less attractive one. The added possibility of tort liability under a wrongful death civil claim only amplifies that point.

* * *

To read the rest, click here.

Top HS Basketball recruit charged in break-in

John Wall, the country’s top unsigned high school recruit in basketball, has been charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering, WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C., has reported.

Wall, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard ranked fifth in the ESPNU 100′s Class of 2009, was cited in connection with an April 27 break-in of a Raleigh residence, police told the TV station.

According to the report, a police officer detained Wall, 18, after observing him leaving out the back of the home. Two minors were also detained and charged in connection with the break-in.

Police said there was no forced entry and nothing to indicate anything was missing from the residence, WRAL-TV reported.

Article located here.

Texas high school events postponed until May 11th due to Swine Flu concerns

The swine flu is affecting sports events across the United States and Mexico.

In Texas, high school athletic events have been postponed through May 11 because of the outbreak.

The move suspends the baseball and softball seasons and eliminates the regional track championships that were to start Friday, said Charles Breithaupt, executive director of the University Interscholastic League. He said league officials acted on the recommendation of public health officials.

“This is a particularly contagious virus that is easily transmitted by contact,” ESPN medical analyst Dr. Michael Kaplan said. “Any physical contact or inhalation/ingest ion can infect another person. While most flu viruses are more virulent or dangerous for the very young and old debilitated individual, this strain seems most devastating to the young healthy adult.”

School officials say 53,000 students are out of school due to concern over the virus, and dozens of schools were closed to be sanitized.

Here is a list of reactions in the sports world to the flu internationally and domestically:

• NBA vice president of basketball communications Tim Frank released a statement saying the league is monitoring advice from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Neither organization has recommended that public gatherings should be cancelled or avoided.

• The Mets say the outbreak in the New York area hasn’t resulted in any changes yet. “We, to date, have yet to receive of any directive/direction from any government agency,” a team official said.

• According to media relations director Jason Zillo, the Yankees are talking to City Hall to get some guidance on the matter and the team plans to take its cues from the city, the New York Daily News reported.

• A directive from MLB regarding the swine flu was distributed to all teams. The Texas Rangers sent copies to all employees. Director of travel Chris Lyngos said the team isn’t too concerned because they have their own chartered jet, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

• Professional soccer games in Mexico this weekend — 176 matches in all divisions — will be played without fans. The ban stretches from nine top division matches to 12 first division A games, 40 in the second division and 115 in the third. Last weekend only three first division games were played behind closed doors.

• The Nationwide Tour has postponed the Mexico Open golf tournament scheduled for May 21-24 because of the swine flu outbreak. Nationwide Tour president Bill Calfee says it will be rescheduled for later in the year.

Article located here.

High School Junior to drop out and play basketball in Europe?

Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-11 junior, dropped out of his San Diego High School and said he would skip his senior year to play professionally in Europe, The New York Times and Yahoo! Sports reported on Wednesday.

Tyler, 17, will become the first player born in the United States to leave high school early to play professional basketball overseas. He is expected to come back in two years, when he is eligible for the NBA draft.

Tyler had made a verbal committment to play for Louisville. Has has not signed with an agent or professional team. He will probably play in Spain, the Times reported, though teams from other European leagues have shown interest.

“Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better,” Tyler told the Times. “If you’re really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere. Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys.”

Los Angeles native Brandon Jennings, a point guard, became the first player to graduate from high school, skip college and play pro ball in Europe. He finished his season with Lottomatica Virtus Roma in Italy and is projected as a high pick in June’s NBA draft.

Article located here.