N.J. high school baseball player sues coach for telling him to slide

A New Jersey judge is being asked to consider whether a high school baseball coach was “negligent” when he signaled for one of his players to slide during a game, resulting in injury.

A judge had already dismissed the case, but the appellate court ruled that the lower court judge “never analyzed whether (the player) presented facts in support of his claim that … conduct was reckless.” The judge will now reconsider the suit and either dismiss it or set a trial.

According to court documents, and as reported by MyCentralJersey.com, former Bound Brook High School baseball player Jake Maser hit a ball into the gap with runners on second and third with his team up 6-0. As Maser rounded second and approached third, coach John Suk signaled Maser to slide. When Maser dropped to the ground, his cleat dug into the dirt and caused him to roll over his right ankle. The injury required surgery.

Maser’s lawsuit claims Suk and the Bound Brook Board of Education “negligently” and “carelessly” supervised the game, according to court documents. The article does not indicate what Maser seeks in damages.

Click here to read the story.


72 thoughts on “N.J. high school baseball player sues coach for telling him to slide”

  1. So a coach was doing his job and trying to win a game and prevent that player from getting out. And now he’s being blamed for it. God what a weak world we live in nowadays.

      1. Score was 6-0….why slide? Why run? Why attempt to hit the ball at all? Why go up to the plate? Why complete? Why work hard and try to do your best? Just roll over…quit trying. Ya, I guess you have a point. SMH. This Coach is definitely not the root of the problem on this one!

        1. amen. so sick of parents these days. seriously, why slide? really. it’s called baseball and it is part of the game. if the superstar player would have learned how to slide correctly, that wouldn’t have happened. but hey, sure its the coaches fault that he didn’t slide correctly as well. the player has no responsibility whatsoever for himself. the coach slid for him and caused the player to get hurt. this country just sucks anymore with our thinking.

      2. You slide to be safe. You should always slide into home plate and some umps require you to do so. Just because this was third base and it was 6-0, so that means you just stop playing hard and coast? Any descent team has the ability to score 6 runs in one inning especially if that team is Home and has last at bat. If the kid rolled his ankle and his cleats dug into the dirt, then he improperly slid.All this stuff does is make good qualified coaches not want to coach anymore. It’s rediculous.

      3. It’s a high school game. You trying to teach athletes the right thing to do at the right time. I’m sure the coach as the player was coming in to the base wasn’t thinking oh it’s 6 -0. Lets do something different. Soon there will be no coaches for parents to yell at and sue.

      4. Joyce, Just shut up. You have no idea what your talking about. This is why people are suing in the first place. go sit in your cry closet and hug your stuffed bear.

  2. So should a coach be able to sue the kids parents for poor performance? I mean, when you lose as a coach, your opportunities for advancement are fewer which means potentially less pay. Could a coach seek damages on the kids (families) if they underperform? Sounds ridiculous but so does the lawsuit mentioned. Where is the line drawn? Completely selfish people.

    1. Oh my god it’s a freaking baseball game. Let me repeat that last word, GAME. i’m sure that he’s not gonna remember whether or not they won or lost, but remember how he got very terribly hurt and required surgery. The coach should be looking out for his players best interest long-term. I mean winning is fun, but it’s not everything. You’re over here acting like it was a major necessity for them to win a highschool game.

      1. Having him slide during a “bang-bang” play is looking out for his player. If he doesn’t slide, he could have been hit in the back of the head with the baseball and possibly have a concussion. Does he sue the player in the outfield who threw it if he ends up with a concussion???? Where does it end??? The judge who allowed it to be entered back into our legal system should be fired!!!!!!!

      2. Sliding is part of the game! What in the heck is this world coming to? Next they will be suing the pitcher on the opposing team for hurting their feelings by striking them out. If you don’t like the
        rules, don’t play.

      3. Oh come on! So why don’t we just give him a hug and a piece of cake when he jogs into the base and they tag him out.

        When does the destruction of the character of our children end?

      4. Emily it isn’t about the game, alot of people are just overly upset by the kids stupidity. The coach didn’t really do anything wrong the kid slid improperly injuring himself, it’s his own fault. I feel bad that he had to have surgery but injuries in sports happen.

      5. It may be a game, but there are fundamentals that have to be used. It shouldn’t be the coaches fault the kid slid wrong! That is something kids are taught to do properly at a young age. I did the same thing when I was younger, and my coach is the one who carried me off the field and took me to my car so my parents could take my to the hospital. All these parents are teaching their kids is to blame someone else for their own stupidity. I hope they lose this case because it is the dumbest thing I have ever read in my entire life.

      6. This line of thinking is what has brought us participation trophies and a gross sense of entitlement with the current generation. Demonizing competition and instilling a sense of “everyone is equal and we really shouldn’t keep score for fear of hurting someone’s feelings” is the philosophy of the weak.

        Building competitive spirit equips these young folks better for the real world, so yeah, it DOES matter.

        The punk who is plaintiff in this case is looking for a payday.

      7. Come on…this is what the kid signed up for…geez. my daughter has been playing softball since she was 5 and handle multiple injuries. never once did i think i was going to sue. it is my choice and her choice to play. GFO with this bull****. He got hurt because he apparently dont know how to slide!

      8. This cannot be about sliding, which is the safest thing to do in that situation. If the coach told him to to NOT slide and the throw nailed the kid in the head then we’d still be having this conversation. This is about parents signing their kids up for a physical game and then using their child for profit when he gets hurt. It will be thrown out. The ridiculousness of it is the only reason that it is news.

      9. Congratulations on this high-level troll Emily, because no one who actually had a clue about baseball and how to play it correctly would have that opinion.

      10. If you don’t want to compete in a “game”, don’t play.. it’s as simple as that. Questioning why a kid should slide during a baseball game as laughable and just displays your ignorance.

      11. Emily, you obviously never played any sport at any time. This kids family is an embarrassment to our society and your comments are as well.

      12. No Emily….it’s a part of the game. That’s why sports are essential to many of us. Athletes accept a certain level of risk when we play whatever game we play. That’s it. Sometimes the ball takes a bad bounce and take a black eye or a broken nose…so what?
        That’s what makes us who are willing to face the fear of injury and still perform unique. People like you who diminish this quality are so out of touch with what really matters…or at least toathletes.
        That kid sucks to no end for holding that coach responsible for his inability to perform what is a totally safe play.
        You act like sliding is an inherently dangerous play.

        1. Emily are you one of the people that thinks last place should get a trophy as well??? If dude is being told to slide it’s probably because of a close play at 3rd and dude might’ve got hit with an incoming ball but then if he got a concussion out of it I guess that means he could probably sue the guy who threw it….

      13. The coach should have called timeout to assess the situation and then make a decision based upon parents and others in the stands. If he then thought is was the proper thing to do then have the child slide. These are the same goofballs blaming the police when they kill someone that has a gun

  3. This kid is a p**** what does he expect it’s baseball not checkers. His teammates should disown him. And his parents should smack themselves for wasting a good evening on him.

  4. This is by far the dumbest thing I have read on the internet today. Absolutely and utterly assanine. You knew the possibility of injury involved in the game when you signed up, same goes for any and all sports.

    1. Ha! That’s pretty funny. … It’s unclear, but based on the description in the lawsuit, it’s my impression he was safe.

  5. WOW!!!!!!!! REALLY???!!! This is what happens when you give kids a trouphy for participating in a sport. As a coach you teach the kids to slide safely. You spend hrs working on this skill.
    So if the coach wins does this mean the kid will sue the cleat manufacturer for making his clears that dug into the dirt to far.
    When will it stop people.

    Oh wait. This will allow any one in the country to sue a teacher for a piss poor grade.

    1. Nowhere does it say the coach was trying to stretch a double into a triple. He was just telling the player to slide… perhaps to avoid getting hit by a thrown ball or colliding with the 3rd baseman, both of which also would likely have injured him. This is a ridiculously frivolous lawsuit.

  6. You really have to wonde about parents these days. Put a drug in bubble around your kid! Bound Brook always was and always will be s bunch of baby’s! I’d sue the parents of that kid for bringing up a child in this environment. Frigid liberalls

  7. This is ridiculous. I am a Coach, I tell my girls to slide to avoid getting hurt, hit with the ball etc. You sign up for any sport, you take the risk of getting hurt. What a disgrace for a Judge to even entertain this complaint! What a disgrace to the parents, trying to make an easy buck. If the Judge hears the case then the Coach should sue the parents for not preparing the kid for the sport and teaching them to slide properly. Idiots….

  8. Why should a high school coach force the triple when you are up 6 runs, why not hold the runner on second in scoring position. Why be aggressive in this situation especially with a high school player. My book this was overly aggressive given the little information we have, how many outs? What inning etc

    1. Overly aggressive, possibly, but tantamount to lawsuit worthy negligence? Come on. This speaks volumes about the litigious nature of our society that effect the cost of everything from cars to pharmaceuticals.

    2. I’ve umpired HS baseball for years. It’s more likely that the kid took 3rd on his own, rather than advancing on the coach’s instructions. High school kids are naturally agressive, they want that extra base, especially when the adrenaline gets pumping after a deep fly ball to the gap.

      This coach being sued is ridiculous. I’ve seen concussions and broken bones resulting from collisions between non-sliding players. The kid’s parents should be ashamed.

      1. Nowhere does it say the coach was trying to stretch a double into a triple. He was just telling the player to slide… perhaps to avoid getting hit by a thrown ball or colliding with the 3rd baseman, both of which also would likely have injured him. This is a ridiculously frivolous lawsuit.

    3. I’ve played this game for many years and i can tell you that, at least for some of us, stretching a double into a triple is one of the most fun things in the game! The player EARNED the right to have that fun and the coach did the right thing by sending him to 3rd. The player shouldn’t be denied what he’s earned just because the other team is bad. On top of that, sliding is safer than trying to come to a sudden stop on top of the base, it prevents knee injuries and collisions.

  9. Wow! By high school, a player has slid thousands of times. In baseball, the rule is slide or avoid. If the player didn’t slide, then they are at fault. Injury is a risk everyone takes playing a sport. It’s unfortunate the kid got hurt, but whether it’s high school or pro, a coach tells you to slide not only to be safe, but to avoid a collision or possible head injury. The coach did nothing wrong here. The kid slid incorrectly. How is that the coach’s fault?! Maybe it’s the field crew’s fault because there was a rock? Maybe it was his parents’ fault because they haven’t taken him to sliding classes before. Maybe it was a kid’s fault because he didn’t get enough sleep and wasn’t concentrating on the proper slide…. OR MAYBE IT WAS JUST AN UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT. The sue happy world we live in is ridiculous.

  10. Sue the baseball shoe mfg, and the cleat mfg, and and the school for improper grounds maintenance and God for making bad dirt.

  11. The parents should be ashamed of themselves for using their child to make a quick dollar. This is in so many ways wrong. Baseball or any other sport for that matter there is always a chance for injury. Knowing these parents if the athlete does not slide and runs into the third baseman they sue the coach for NOT telling him to slide. Idiot greedy parents.

  12. Dang.. I missed a chance to have my daughter’s college paid for when the line drive hit back at her broke her finger requiring surgery! Anyone know the statute of limitations? Plus I tore my ACL in a HS game, coach shouldn’t have made me double team a player! Then there is the bicep tendon tear I had in BJJ class. I’m so gonna be rich!!!

  13. Lawsuit sounds like ambulance chasing. As coaches, we can train our athletes in proper techniques, but injuries can still happen. Several years ago, I had an athlete tear ligaments in his ankle sliding into a base. He did everything correctly, but his cleat caught on the base. If the coach trained this player correctly there is no negligence.

  14. There is a difference between a coach being aggressive and being reckless. Since this was a JV game maybe the coach was being aggressive trying to teach a player to go for an extra base so when he has to do it in a future game he has the confidence to try it. There is no way the coach would know that the player would execute a poor slide and hurt himself. I am sure the coach felt bad but there is no way this lawsuit should have been reopened. The parents of this kid should be ashamed of themselves, and when the case is thrown out a second time they should be forced to pay any court costs and legal fees incurred by the coach.

  15. This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. I have been a player, coach, and an umpire at all levels of baseball, and a player blaming their coach for something like this is unreal. Looking at it as a coach, you want your players to slide to avoid injury by getting hit with the ball or making contact with the fielder, plus they have a much better chance of being safe with a well executed slide. As an umpire, if the player does NOT attempt to avoid contact on a close play (sliding) they are called OUT! What is this world coming to that a coach is dragged through the courts because of teaching the fundamentals correctly. The parents should be ashamed.

  16. Why Slide? Someone said. Then why play? Play to win. We keep score. So does life. Never let your emotions dictate your activity. Work hard all the time. YOu never know what’s around the corner. Prepare for the unexpected. Besides, its the kids fault he tore up his ankle. Slidinng is never taght by using the “hang your cleats in the dirt” technique. If so the coach would have been fired long ago. Accidents are not negligence. Throw the case out. Its the only solution here.

  17. Might as well sue the kid that hit the ball. Had he hit it further there would have been no need to slide. Sue the groundskeeper too; the ground was apparently too hard and not prepared properly to provide a soft landing for her delicate child. Sue the makers of the shoe because the shoe was not properly designed to account for this child failure to remember what he was taught about sliding. Sue his parents for not having enough fast twitch muscle fibers so he could run faster.

Leave a Reply