Texas HS football coach resigns amid punishment allegations

February 10, 2016 /
A Texas high school football coach has resigned amid allegations that he punished athletes with excessive exercise, sending some of them to the hospital.

Football fieldKane Harris, football coach and athletic director at Hamshire-Fannett ISD, resigned earlier this week, nearly a month after parents complained of the way he punished his players. According to the Beaumont Enterprise, parents said their children were required by coaches to do hundreds of jump squats for “at least three days straight,” a punishment for leaving the locker room messy.

An exercise science expert told the newspaper that the punishment was “abusive” and “malpractice.”

From the article:

At least three students were admitted in January to hospitals and diagnosed with a specific medical condition that arises from overworking muscles, according to parents. One student suffered acute kidney failure from the condition, his parent said.

“I don’t believe you can say one person was the cause of all this,” said Wanda Turmes, whose sophomore son took part in two of the three days of exercise sessions. “I believe the district and the community needs to look at the athletic department and the district as a whole and reevaluate how we got here.”

The sheriff’s office said that no criminal charges will be filed, but the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services continues to investigate the allegations. The school district is conducting its own investigation.

Click here to read the complete article.


Leave a Reply