Coach Charged with Player’s Death
March 4, 2009
Anyone who has ever played competitive sports has gone through it. The practice where your legs feel heavy, your pads are weighing you down, the heat inside your helmet is sweltering, and your coach could not care less. The only thought in your mind is getting home, resting up, and recovering for the next practice.
Max Gilpin, a 15 year old sophomore at Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Kentucky experienced one of these types of practices in August of 2008. The difference is, Gilpin did not get the chance to go home and rest up. In the middle of football practice during sprints, Gilpin collapsed to the ground. Although he was taken to a shady area to lie down, the damage had already been done. Gilpin died 3 days later in the hospital from heat stroke, septic shock, and organ failure.
The coach of the team, David Jason Stinson, was spotted shouting at players during practice and telling them that he would keep running sprints or “gassers,” until somebody on the field quit the team. After hours of work in the above ninety degree weather, one boy David Englert did quit the team. Unfortunately, Max Gilpin had already collapsed and although he was rushed to the hospital, he never regained consciousness. Gilpin’s temperature before he died was said to be at 107 degrees. Coach Stinson was indicted January 22 by a Jefferson Country Grand jury with criminal charges for the death of Gilpin. If he is eventually convicted, Stinson faces up to 5 years in prison. According to Stinson’s attorney, he was “shocked” by the indictment. It makes one wonder what draws the line between pushing your team to its limits, and putting your team in serious danger.
Many other heat stroke related deaths have come up over the past decade, particularly with football. In August of 2001, Korey Stringer an NFL offensive lineman was killed from complications from a heat stroke while practicing with the Minnesota Vikings. Another heat stroke related death was suffered a week earlier by Eraste Autin, a running back for the University of Florida.
Football is a tough sport, and pushing your players to limits they did not think they could a part of the game. But when pushing your team to the next level includes putting player’s lives in danger, a line needs to be drawn.
By Kevin Maras, sports editor
