What is rhabdomyolysis? Texas high school coach accused of forcing students to do 400 push-ups as punishment

Several student athletes of Rockwall-Heath High School have reportedly been hospitalized after being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a damaging muscle condition caused by extensive exercise. On Monday, December 23, the mother of one of the student athletes filed a lawsuit against the school's former football coach, John Harrell, and 12 other coaches for punishing students extensively that led them to suffer from rhabdomyolysis.

According to the complaint, 26 student athletes suffered or showed symptoms of this rare muscle injury caused by the extreme physical punishment they had to endure. The players were required to do around 400 push-ups as a punishment within one hour and with no breaks if they broke rules, which included wearing the wrong attire, having a bad attitude and negatively interacting with coaches, or if they did not 'hustle' enough.

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What is rhabdomyolysis? 26 high school students in Texas hospitalized on being diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis

Rhabdomyolysis is a rare medical condition where the muscles break down or degenerate. Considered to be life-threatening, rhabdomyolysis is mainly caused by injury or excessive exercising without a break. Rhabdomyolysis can cause muscle fibers to enter the blood circulation system, which has a high risk of damaging kidneys. It is a fairly rare condition. In a year, almost 26,000 people in the United States suffer from the condition.

As per the complaint, the coaches were previously warned against using "physical exercise as a form of punishment'. However, former coach John Harrell and others made the players do around 400 push-ups without any rest as punishment. The coaches have allegedly settled lawsuits with other parents in the past, accusing them of the same issue but faced no charges. Following the incident, the school administration placed coach Harrell on administrative leave, which led him to resign from his post as head football coach in March 2023.

Mike Sawicki, lawyer representing the complainant mother, said in a statement:

"Coach Harrell wrote the program that said any little infraction for all sorts of different reasons would result in these push-ups."

Multiple parents also reported their sons were unable to move their arms owing to stiffness. As per Fox 4 reports, Dr. Osehotue Okokie, whose son was in the hospital, stated that his son was unable to lift his arm to brush his teeth or to wash his face due to the swelling.

"I’ve spoken to military folks, and they haven’t done that level of workout, and these are children," he said.

The symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include muscle swelling, weakness of muscle, changing color of urine, dehydration, nausea, and loss of consciousness, among other problems. These symptoms usually develop within one to three days after muscle injury, caused by heavy exercise.

"The problem here is that this is a real potential harm. This is not, 'I stubbed my toe', or this is not 'I'm a little winded after running some sprints.' This is a potentially long-term, life-affecting injury, and it's not something you're just going to tough out," Mike Sawicki said describing the effects of rhabdomyolysis.

The complaint further accused coach Harrell of negligent discipline and ignoring students' safety while punishing them. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the allegations against coach Harrell's inhuman punishment were accurate, and the student's injuries were a result of the extensive workouts.