The Elmore, Ohio parents of a former high school football player who suffered a traumatic brain injury during a practice have sued a school district and several individual defendants, claiming the concussion occurred because the individual defendants “implemented an attack against players as part of an effort to punish and haze certain members of the football team for lack of ‘hustle.’”
The plaintiffs in the case were Daniel Sprinski Jr. and Amy Sprinski. The defendants were the Woodmore School District, Head Coach Britton Devier, and Assistant Coach Todd Bringman.
The incident in question occurred on September 10, 2013.
“Due to the extreme heat, that day’s practice was planned as a ‘non-contact’ practice, meaning the players were instructed not to wear their full uniforms; only helmets, shoulder pads, girdles with hip pads, and shorts,” said attorney Charles Boyk of the Charles E. Boyk law firm of Toledo, who represents the Sprinski’s, in a statement.
“When the players failed to complete their non-contact drills to the satisfaction of Devier and Bringman, they were ordered to return to the locker room and change into full uniforms, making sure to be back on the field within eight minutes. The players were also warned that failure to return to the field within the allotted eight minutes would result in several consequences.
The attorney continued: “Of the approximately 45 players on the team, only 6-10 returned to the field within eight minutes. Those not returning in time were instructed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a single file line and were from that point referred to as ‘Old Woodmore.’ The ‘New Woodmore’ players were those who had made it back in time. The ‘Old Woodmore’ players were instructed to ‘take a hit’ before they could join the ‘New Woodmore’ team, which is when the ‘New Woodmore’ players were instructed to hit the ‘Old Woodmore’ players as hard as possible. The ‘Old Woodmore’ players were also forced to participate in the ‘Bull in the Ring’ drill in which any behavior against the victim was allowed: grabbing face masks, pulling, pushing and hitting, among other acts.
“The ‘Old Woodmore’ players were not allowed to make any effort to defend themselves.
“Our 16-year-old client was one of the ‘Old Woodmore’ players who were hit with such force that he subsequently vomited, became disoriented, and collapsed, which are all tell-tale signs of a severe brain injury. No ambulance was called.
“Our client was unresponsive while his older brother and teammate drove him home. His parents took him to Mercy St. Charles Hospital before he was transported via ambulance to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center where he was ultimately diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury after spending the night at the Intensive Care Unit.”
“Drills in any sport should be used as a tool to increase skill and performance, not to punish players,” Boyk added. “When coaches use retaliation and punishment instead of encouragement to drive their drills, lines are quickly crossed and injuries occur.”
The plaintiffs specifically alleged in their complaint that “the football drills in question did not comply with the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s guidelines regarding the reduction of head and neck injuries in football.”
The longer-term impact of the injury has been significant, according to the plaintiffs, who said their 16-year-old son no longer attends Woodmore Schools and can never play contact sports again. Furthermore, he allegedly has learning and memory problems and is experiencing depression and anxiety.
The school district responded with the following statement: “The Woodmore School District maintains a high standard of safety consistent with schools in the State of Ohio and the safety of our students and student-athletes is a top priority. This concern was immediately investigated and addressed and all required reports were made.
“Not only did the district conduct a thorough investigation, but the Ohio Attorney General’s office conducted an investigation along with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and presented testimony from 49 witnesses to a grand jury, resulting in no indictment and no charges against Woodmore Schools or its employees.
“While we cannot discuss specifics at this time due to student privacy laws, the district strongly disputes the false allegations in the lawsuit and looks forward to providing its response to the court.”
Bringman reportedly resigned on September 25 after the school district put him on paid leave. But he won’t do any jail time. Investigators from the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, which is an arm of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, presented the case to a grand jury in October. But the jurors declined to charge Bringman, or anyone else with a crime. One of the key issues, reportedly, was the fact that they could not determine whether the boy was hurt during the drill or another part of practice.
The plaintiffs are seeking at least $75,000 in compensatory damages for personal injuries, pain and suffering, disability, medical and hospital expenses, sanctions, exemplary damages, and other damages, along with reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, pre-judgment costs, and other relief the court deems just.
