The situation in Rockwall-Heath has escalated.
A week after an extreme workout led to the hospitalization of multiple Rockwall-Heath High School athletes, Child Protective Services is now investigating the incident. The parents of two players confirmed the agency in charge of minor welfare is questioning head football coach John Harrell, who forced the team to perform up to 400 push-ups due to disciplinary issues.
Team captain Brady Luff explained the punishing drills:
“Our motto, it’s number 16. Sixteen ball games to win a championship. We do these workouts and it’s all bout discipline. If we get them right, we move on. If not, we do 16 push-ups.”
According to parents who spoke to WFAA, the team made 23 mistakes during their prescribed workout, assigning 16 pushups to each error.
Coach Harrell is still on leave while the school investigates the Jan. 6 incident that left at least eight hospitalized, with two complaining of dark urine and an inability to lift their arms. Some of the athletes were diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown in muscle tissue, which can result in kidney damage or failure in extreme cases.
Despite the investigation, the embattled coach still visited the players in the hospital.
“When my son said his wrist was hurting, one of the coaches said to him, ‘Your wrist should be healed by now, keep going,” Dr. Osehotue Okojie, the parent of a sophomore football player, told Fox 4 Dallas.
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