ROCKWALL, Texas — Current and former football players for Rockwall-Heath High School, along with many parents, attended the first Rockwall ISD board meeting of the year Tuesday night to support embattled coach John Harrell.
Harrell is on administrative leave following an offseason workout that resulted in several players being hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) after they reportedly did hundreds of push-ups.
The district launched a third-party investigation into the incident that is to be completed by local law firm Adams, Lynch, & Loftin, P.C., per a spokesperson with Rockwall ISD.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (CPS) was also asked to investigate by the district. Their results will be sent to the board upon completion.
Yet, the message from players and parents to the board who attended Tuesday night during their first quorum of the year was clear: give Harrell a second chance.
Players and parents even wore shirts that said "Keep Harrell."
"He hasn't been a coach to me, he's been like a father figure to me," former running back and senior Burnis Lewis told the board.
"Not letting Coach Harrell stay would be a big impact on my family," one parent of a football player echoed.
Last week, the district issued a letter to football parents relaying that Harrell was being placed on leave following the Jan. 6 workout.
The district only said that student-athletes were required to perform "multiple push-ups" in the workout and that some children needed medical attention, including hospitalization.
But two parents, Dr. Osehotue Okojie and Maria Avila, told WFAA on Monday that their 15-year-old sons were required to do 368 push-ups during their athletic period and were hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis for a combined 11 days.
Rhabdo is a severe breakdown of muscle tissue that releases a damaging protein into the bloodstream. In serious cases, it can be fatal or cause permanent disability.
The district's letter didn't specifically mention rhabdo but listed common symptoms associated with it and for students to see a doctor right away if they're experiencing any.
Avila and Okojie said that the group was doing conditioning and made 23 mistakes over 60 minutes during the prescribed workout.
As a result, athletes were disciplined with one set of 16 push-ups per every mistake, they said.
The district wouldn't confirm those details, but a spokesperson only told WFAA it would know more about the circumstances of the workout once the investigation was completed.
Okojie and Avila also told WFAA their sons were interviewed by CPS while they were hospitalized.
They also said they were made aware that at least 15 students required medical attention and/or hospitalization.
A spokesperson for Rockwall ISD also wouldn't confirm those details due to student privacy.
Harrell has yet to respond to a request for his side of the story. He likely hasn't spoken up due to the investigations encircling him.
But that's why parents and players say they spoke before the board Tuesday night: to be their coach's voice.
"Coach Harrell would never knowingly put our boys in a situation that would cause them harm or injury," Stephanie Luff said, whose son Brady is a junior captain on the varsity team.
Okojie and Avila told WFAA Monday night that don't think Harrell intentionally meant to harm anyone, but that the workout went too far.
"It was just an unfortunate situation that happened," Bobby Robinson said, who has two kids on the Heath football team.
"It was an accident, let's figure it out. But he's not a monster. None of those coaches are."
Sympathy was shared by Board President Linda Mitchell Moran, who said she and others were praying for all students involved.
Luff told WFAA that she's tired of seeing people take sides and that the team should be a unit right now. She said she respects the truth of those injured and their families, but that it's also true Harrell is a good coach and a good man.
"We pray for all of those boys every day. We want them to get better and get back on the team. We also want the same for Coach Harrell. The boys miss him," Luff said.
The board discussed the investigation in an executive session but took no official action.