Football Practice Sends Students to Hospital; It's a 'Nightmare,' Parents Express

Parents are angry as Texas students get sent to the hospital due to rigorous football practice.

Over a dozen high school football players from Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, needed medical attention after an hour-long "grueling" drill enforced by the school's head football coach, John Harrell, BBC reported.

The students were made to do nearly 400 push-ups, and without a water break in between, Dr. Osehotue Okojie, a parent of one of the players who went to the hospital, declared.

She further said it had been a "nightmare of a week." She is not alone, as other parents are terrified, especially since the incident involved their children's health.

Rhabdomyolysis

The doctor narrated that her son, coming from their off-season practice, came home two weeks ago in pain and unable to lift his arms that they needed to get him to the hospital, where he stayed for a week.

The student was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious medical condition called rhabdo, involving muscle tissue breakdown. The damaged tissues release proteins and electrolytes into the blood, substances that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), can damage the heart and kidneys.

"Rhabdomyolysis doesn't just fall from the sky. It's usually from overuse, and it's not common. I think that when you have children who are harmed in this way, to the severity that they were harmed, there has to be accountability," Okojie emphasized.

It is considered fatal as it can result in permanent disability or death.

The doctor further added that the school needed to "stress health" over just solely putting the focus on winning. At what cost is the winning? She questioned the school.

Football players and other parents defend the coach

Amidst the parents' complaints, other parents and football players showed their support for the football coach. On Tuesday, students attended the board meeting wearing a t-shirt that said: "Keep Harell."

A freshman football player Tyler Marsh defended his coach, saying that Harell is a good man who loves and respects everybody "like his own family."

According to CBS News, he confirmed that they "technically" did 368 pushups for about an hour but said it was not the coach's fault as they were messing up and not doing the drill right. They should get the blame for that part.

Principal Todd Bradford sent out a letter to parents, which was also shared on Twitter, stating that on January 9, three days after the grueling football practice, several parents reported that their kids needed medical attention after being "required to perform multiple push-ups."

The school said that it has already placed the head football coach on administrative leave while an investigation is ongoing, which is being done by independent third-party investigators,

Bradford added that parents are ensured that the school will take urgent and proper measures in their children's best interest, as the safety of the students is the school's top priority.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has also launched its own investigation after being notified by the Rockwall Independent School District.