>
A high school football player in Texas is defending his coach, who is currently under investigation for alleged misconduct after he forced the team to do 400 push-ups in an hour without a break.
Rockwall-Heath High School head football coach John Harrell has been placed on administrative leave after eight students were hospitalized following extreme training.
Brady Luff, the team’s college captain, defended his coach, stating that Harrell would never put students at risk.
He also denied that the players were deprived of water during training.
“Our motto is the number 16,” said the junior WFAA. Sixteen ball games to win a championship. We do these workouts and it’s all about discipline. If we get it right, we move on. If not, we do 16 push-ups.
Brady Luff, a varsity captain for the team, defended his coach, stating that head football coach John Harrell would never put students at risk.
Rockwall-Heath High School head football coach John Harrell has been placed on administrative leave following practice last Friday.
“I’ve heard people say we didn’t have water, and that’s not true,” Luff said.
‘We have these big pitchers full of water. You can go there between repeats and drink water whenever you want. No one was deprived of water.
The team, the Rockwall-Heath Hawks, had a 7-5 record this season and lost in the second round of the playoffs.
Some parents of other players have said push-ups had dangerous consequences, with one mother saying her son was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle tissue that can release harmful proteins into the bloodstream, potentially causing kidney damage or failure.
Coach Harrell had been the head coach of the Rockwall-Heath football team for one year and has been a part of the school’s program since 2019.
Eight football players were hospitalized after being forced to do between 300 and 400 push-ups in an hour. Parents claim that students were forced to do the strenuous exercise without breaks.
Principal Todd Bradford addressed the situation Monday, writing in a letter to parents of student athletes:
‘On Monday, January 9, 2023, multiple parents reported that their student(s) subsequently required medical attention and, in some cases, hospitalization. Please know that the District immediately implemented measures to address the situation and provide support for our students.
He also advised parents to tell their students to see the coach if they cannot bend or extend their arms, cannot raise their arms above their heads, dark urine (the color of tea or cola), and sharp pain in arm. ‘ as well as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, or lethargy.
“Student safety is a top priority for Rockwall IDS and we will continue to take immediate and appropriate action in the best interest of our students as we address this situation,” the letter said.
The Dallas-based school also launched a third-party investigation into the incident, saying the students who attended the class Monday did a light, non-strenuous workout.
Despite the scary situation, some of the players defended Harrell, saying that he was not trying to harm the students, but to teach them discipline.
The Dallas-based school launched an investigation into the incident and warned students to see the school’s coach if they have trouble extending or raising their arms or have dark-colored urine.
Luff also defended his trainer earlier this week.
“He has treated us with nothing but respect and loves each of us as his own.”
Luff also said WFAA that Harrell was at the hospital “all night with those guys” to make sure they were okay.
“He would never make us exercise thinking it would put any of us at risk,” he told the outlet.
His mother also defended the coach, saying that he “would have been the first person to get to the principal’s office” if she thought something was wrong.
Harrell was promoted to head coach in January 2022 and has been with the school since 2019.