It’s common for football coaches to put their team through some harsh physical conditioning and workouts during the offseason, but one Texas high school football coach appears to have taken his workout to the extreme, and it was so intense that it actually sent some of his players to the hospital.
According to a report from the Dallas Morning News, Rockwall-Heath head football coach John Harrell has been placed on administrative leave after multiple high school football players needed to be hospitalized following a particularly intense workout last week where he required players to do nearly 400 pushups in a 60-minute timeframe with no water breaks. At least eight students were hospitalized as a result of the grueling workout.
The parent of one of the athletes told the Dallas Morning News anonymously that her son had been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis at the hospital, which is a stress-induced muscle disorder that can damage cells and cause kidney damage – even failure in some more severe cases.
“Please know the district immediately implemented measures to address the situation and provide support for our students,” Rockwall-Heath principal Todd Bradford said in a letter. “To thoroughly investigate any connection between the activities in class and student illnesses, the district is retaining an independent third party to investigate the event. The district is also taking interim action, including but not limited to, placing Coach Harrell on administrative leave while the investigation is pending and notifying appropriate outside agencies. District administrators and campus personnel have been in contact with the affected families and student-athletes.”
It’s certainly a concerning situation for the students involved.
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