HS Player Collapses, Coach Faces Homicide Charges

Sad story all around, but what do you all think. Should this coach be charged?

PRP coach indicted in player's death | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090122/NEWS01/90122023/1008)

If he denied them water, than absolutley he should have. That "run til you quit" portion doesnt bother me all that much, as coaches will say things like that all the time. I mean the article didnt touch on the temperature outside either, so theres a lot of variables there. Obviously its a tragedy for all parties involved.

That's a very sad situation. I do not think the coach should be charged though. There were plenty of times when I played high school football that the coaches said, "no water until you..." fill in the blank. Did I sweat, puke, and feel totally exhausted? Sure.

If this kid collapsed with 107 degree body temperatures and none of the other players had adverse affects, I wouldn't call the coaching behavior reckelss. It's a shame, but not worthy of homicide charges.

If he denied them water, than absolutley he should have. That "run til you quit" portion doesnt bother me all that much, as coaches will say things like that all the time. I mean the article didnt touch on the temperature outside either, so theres a lot of variables there. Obviously its a tragedy for all parties involved.I think this is going to be the biggest problem for the coach. These days, there is no excuse for denying the players water because it is so well known how important it is and the potential consequences from dehydration. For the most part I think we've come a long way from the "water is for the weak" mentality.
That being said, I don't know if the coaches neglect is the same as murdering the kid. Homicide charges seem rather harsh to me.

I think this is going to be the biggest problem for the coach. These days, there is no excuse for denying the players water because it is so well known how important it is and the potential consequences from dehydration. For the most part I think we've come a long way from the "water is for the weak" mentality.
That being said, I don't know if the coaches neglect is the same as murdering the kid. Homicide charges seem rather harsh to me.

That part I agree with as well. And I'm not sure what "denied them water" means either. Did he just not give them a water break? I mean I'm going to assume that alot of people here played football and I mean its a tough situation and coaches try to imply that "tough love"... homicide charges do seem awfully steep.

That part I agree with as well. And I'm not sure what "denied them water" means either. Did he just not give them a water break? I mean I'm going to assume that alot of people here played football and I mean its a tough situation and coaches try to imply that "tough love"... homicide charges do seem awfully steep.

I'm no lawyer, so I'm just guessing here. But I think there's a pretty good case here that he acted in a criminally negligent manner. If I remember right that would qualify you for the mildest degree of murder. Me thinks?

If someone shows signs of sickness and you deny a request for water, given what you know about dehydration, chances are you were negligent and showed disregard for the kid's health.

So while he's qualifying for a "homicide" charge, the sentence would likely end up on the light side.

I pretty much agree with Schneed. Homicide seems a little too harsh but he was definitely negligent there. He'll probably plead down to a lesser charge.

That's a very sad situation. I do not think the coach should be charged though. There were plenty of times when I played high school football that the coaches said, "no water until you..." fill in the blank. Did I sweat, puke, and feel totally exhausted? Sure.

If this kid collapsed with 107 degree body temperatures and none of the other players had adverse affects, I wouldn't call the coaching behavior reckelss. It's a shame, but not worthy of homicide charges.
One person having a heat stroke is not uncommon because of all the factors that can cotribute. Maybe he was out drinking the night before maybe he did not hit the water when needed etc etc.

One thing to remember is there is strong precedence here. It's unfortunate, but there have been plenty of cases in recent years of kids collapsing on practice fields and dying shortly after. I don't recall any other coaches facing prosecution. Did Mike Tice face homicide charges when Kory Stringer collapsed? Sure, the Vikings had a civil suit against them, but not murder. It's a shitty situation, but to prosecute the coach for homicide is too much.

From what I can tell, no other kids on the team were having heat related issues or adverse symptoms. And from what little I read, it doesn't seem like this coach has any history that would cause red flags or concern from the school or parents. Plus he briefly played in the NFL, so understands what players deal with.

Anyway, my point is homicide charges are excessive, and the precedence in cases like this backs that up.

If he denied them water, than absolutley he should have. That "run til you quit" portion doesnt bother me all that much, as coaches will say things like that all the time. I mean the article didnt touch on the temperature outside either, so theres a lot of variables there. Obviously its a tragedy for all parties involved.

That's a biggie but if the coach truly did nothing for an extended period after the collapse i.e. did not call for paramedics etc then he is no doubt liable under the law and should be punished to the limit. As a coach you're basically taking responsibility for the kids during a practice. So for instance if there was a terrible non-football related accident (seizure, gun shot, kid run over by out of control mower) and the coach did nothing his pure negligence is criminal. In the case of the collapse whether he caused it is debatable but doing nothing after, if it's true, is a crime.