HS wrestler sues school for MMA match. So who’s to blame?
Ok so there has been some buzz kicked up recently thanks to a story that has been floating around about a high school student suing the district and his wrestling coaches for damages stemming from impromptu MMA matches that had taken place during down time in wrestling practice. In a nutshell, a preseason workout was canceled but some wrestlers stayed behind in the practice room. Then one of the wrestlers took out some MMA gloves and so they decided to partake in an MMA fight while being videotaped. The assistant coach was present and was apparently cheering on the matches. The match resulted in the student getting dental damage that will amount to $25,000 in repair.
So who’s to blame? Simple, everyone. I have never seen such bad judgment used by so many individuals. First of all, why did the one student think it was a good idea to bring his gloves and suggest to a room full of pumped up guys that they waste some time with a full contact sport that can be dangerous. Look, if you want to do some light sparring that’s fine as long as limits are set up and rules are in place for the safety of those involved. That wasn’t the case here. These wrestlers do not have enough experience or proper MMA gear to practice full contact sparring. Even the PROS wear boat loads of gear when they are practicing. The real deal doesn’t happen until an actual sanctioned match by the state’s athletic commission happens, complete with refs and medical personnel. So that’s how the wrestlers as a group are at fault.
When you are a coach, whether the head or assistant, you are in a position to provide good judgment and set good examples for your athletes. As soon as this assistant coach saw the wrestlers coming out with fighting gloves on, that should have sent a red flag into his head. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that these kids don’t know how to control themselves since they have not had proper training in striking. What was this coach thinking not only letting these matches happen but actually cheering them on? If i was the principal and I found out that would be grounds for dismissal. It wouldn’t matter if no one got hurt even because he failed as a coach by not setting a good example and telling his team “No, this is not ok. This is dangerous and I can’t let this happen.”
Last but not least, I’m putting blame on the student himself. No one twisted his arm to go and fight one of his friends. He decided to do that on his own. Are there other people at fault here? Of course. Am I sorry the student got hurt? Yes, but he has no one else to blame but himself. As a wrestler one at least has enough knowledge to know that full contact sports can be dangerous and shouldn’t be done unless it’s in a controlled environment. As soon as this student saw that everyone was going full force he could have said no. He SHOULD have said no. But he didn’t. He decided to step into the ring and try to show how tough he was, and now he will have to bear the consequences.
So what should happen? Simple, the case should be thrown out. The school district shouldn’t have to shell out money because of a group of individuals. The assistant coach should be fired. There is no excuse for what he did. The head coach should be reprimanded for not having a better hold of his team and his assistants. The wrestlers also should be reprimanded as well so that they know to think twice next time before they do something like this. I’m not saying you need to shell out suspensions, but something needs to be done. That’s just my two cents anyway.
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