Posted on 03/22/2023 6:57:00 PM PDT by Morgana
A Christian university has agreed to pay $14 million to the family of a student athlete who died from heat stroke after begging for water from coaches during an outdoor “punishment practice.”
Founded by a group of Baptist ministers in 1888, University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., has historic ties to the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC), a statewide voluntary fellowship of churches which is linked to the Southern Baptist Convention. (In 2018, KBC dissolved formal association with the university.)
The school settled last week with the family of deceased athlete Grant Brace. Brace was 20 at the time of his death on the university’s campus on August 31, 2020. University of the Cumberlands and other defendants, including two coaches since fired, agreed to pay $14,121,699, which is in part to honor Brace’s birthdate of Dec. 16, 1999.
“It is important to the family that the amount of this settlement be known so that coaches and educational institutions understand the weight of ignoring heat-related illnesses,” stated family attorney James Moncus.
Diagnosed with ADHD and narcolepsy from a young age, Brace took medication that increased his need for hydration. His high school had accommodated his needs, and he participated in several state wrestling tournaments. According to the lawsuit, the university, which participates in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, had committed to accommodate him.
Brace died during his team’s first practice of the semester in 2020. Coaches reportedly forced students to run up and down “punishment hill,” and Brace sat down after a few circuits. He begged for water but his coaches reportedly replied that “water is for the weak.” When Brace walked away in search of water, coaches told him he was cut from the team.
Attorney Moncus described that Brace “was found dead with his hands and face in the dirt a few hundred yards from the wrestling room.” He added: “Grant’s death was the result of untreated exertional heat stroke. It is inexcusable that the University and its coaches allowed Grant to die.”
The university’s wrestling coaches, Jordan Countryman and Jake Sinkovics, were fired.
In a statement to the media, University of the Cumberlands Chancellor Jerry Jackson said the community “continues to mourn his untimely loss . . . Grant was a talented, well-liked young man entering his junior year with a bright future ahead of him.”
The school settled the suit out of court, foregoing a potentially lengthy and costly legal process. “We sincerely hope that resolving this matter early in the legal process will offer the Brace family a measure of peace and healing,” said Jackson.
In honor of their son, Brace’s parents, Kyle and Jackie Brace partnered with the Korey Stringer Institute to develop what is termed The B.R.A.C.E. Protocol, a five-step method to prevent exertional heat stroke.
University of the Cumberlands has committed to implement this protocol, which will also be promoted at schools across the nation.
Correction: This story has been updated to accurately state the university’s historic ties with Southern Baptist associations.
WTF is wrong with these assholes? Deny a kid water?
Burn their houses down and deny them water.
I would agree. Why anyone would be denied water and be called “weak” when asking for it is beyond me.
I never did like coaches on the football team. Biggest jerks on planet earth.
I wrestled. Tough training. Never would a coach not let us drink water. They encouraged us to stay hydrated. Frowned upon losing water weight which we did.
Manslaughter, yes. Someone needs water during exercise and denying it is evil.
Sad story. We don’t need a new acronym-based protocol, we need compassionate coaches and leaders who provide safe and effective supervision of their players.
We laugh at liberals for being hypersensitive (rightly so), but this would have never happened at a liberal college where every whim and fancy of students is catered to. These Christians wanted to teach toughness and endurance to these athletes without the preening, feminizing presence (in their minds) or oversight of liberal administrators who coddle students, and went too far.
“Manslaughter, yes”
More like murder one. They knew he was on medication for adhd and narcolepsy. I know for a fact that narcolepsy drugs and those require A LOT of water. They knew he needed it so it was murder denying it to him.
I thought that everyone knew that you have a much greater need for water in the heat.
Back when I played football we were allowed a small cup of coolaid with salt tablets.
The thinking was too much water caused cramps.
Gad,the coolaid was horrible tasting but no one declined.
After the last whistle,everyone rushed to the nearest fountains.
This was in the mid seventies.
The odd thing is, when we worked on the hayfields of the family farm, we always had a frozen gallon plastic milk jug of water and drank from it liberally
Different times.
Oh, perhaps. Or it could have been that the coaches in questions were just dimwitted @ssholes. That strikes me as more likely.
Absolutely despicable. They should be charged with manslaughter at the very least.
“Water makes you weak” has been obsolete for 30 years, or more. I’m old enough to remember attending 49ers training camp in Moraga in the 60s. We’d smuggle ice chips in towels to the players...good times.
Just looked up this story. Here is another article with lots of detail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10882227/College-wrestler-dies-heatstroke-pleas-water-denied-poor-performance.html
Very sad reading...
This was hard to read. I have several children who are young adult men and they were/are athletes. Heartbreaking
“his coaches reportedly replied that “water is for the weak.”” Wow. Um, it’s just sports. Lighten up. Water is everywhere and rejecting an athletes wish for water is unethical: “Love your neighbor as your self.”
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