Student is Seriously Injured During Football Practice

Case Overview

This case takes place in Florida and involves a young man, who was severely injured during a football drill during practice. The plaintiff was a high school student who was a starting player on the varsity football team at an all-boys catholic high school. As a function of his participation on the team, the plaintiff was expected to attend practice after school hours five days a week. During one practice, the plaintiff was required to participate in a specialized drill for running backs which required players to wear a heavily weighted vest while performing a series of agility drills, which placed a great deal of stress on player’s joints. During one portion of the drill, the individual coaching the players required them to jump onto a raised platform, then to jump back down to the ground 10 consecutive times. The plaintiff was participating in this aspect of the drill when, upon landing on the ground from the raised platform, he suffered tears to multiple tendons in his right leg as well as a serious dislocation of the knee joint. The plaintiff will require several surgeries and it is unlikely that he will ever be able to play football again.

Questions to the Sports & Recreation expert and their responses

Please discuss your background in football training.

This case is right in my area of expertise and I am glad to assist. I been a football coach for major university teams for a number of years and can speak to the industry standards that a knowledgeable coach should know.

How do you ensure to conduct drills in safe manner to avoid injury to the players?

This drill as described sounds a little over the top to me and I have watched thousands of practices in my life. I am able to opine as to whether this drill was unconventional or dangerous and whether the coach should have used better judgement to prevent fatigue and injury. Usually, drills that involve additional weight in plyometric exercises must be carefully designed and monitored, as the risk of serious injury is increased significantly. The safety of this particular drill seems questionable at best.

Have you ever reviewed a similar case?

I am glad to help with this case and happy to discuss further.

About the expert

This extremely qualified expert has been involved with the game of football for over 50 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Sports Psychology from Florida State University, where he also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Sports Psychology. He has been an active member of the American Football Coaches Association for over 40 years and completed a Governor-appointed six year term on the Board of Directors of the Florida Sports Foundation. He coached football for 15 seasons at West Chester State College, the University of Maryland, the University of Connecticut, and The Citadel, while he also served as the Athletic Director for Liberty University, a Division I university. He taught Sport Administration at Florida State University Law School for 25 years and has authored 100+ articles and four books. Currently, this expert is a Managing Partner at a financial consultancy, as well as the President of a firm that advocates and provides contract advisory services for coaches and athletic directors.