WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Fallout from Stinson indictment could impact coaches across the nation

Fallout from Stinson indictment could impact coaches across the nation

By Lindsay English - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The reckless homicide indictment returned against Pleasure Ridge Park High football coach Jason Stinson is already getting national attention. Many schools, coaches, players and parents across the country will want to know how the legal procedures play out in the case because it is a situation unlike any other.

"It seems to me to be a unique situation and having covered sports and covered football for 20 plus years now, I cannot remember an instance where it got to this level with a reckless homicide charge," says Pat Forde, senior writer for ESPN.com.

You can find articles about Stinson's grand jury indictment for the death of his player, PRP sophomore Max Gilpin last August, on websites like ESPN.com and foxsports.com.

Gilpin, 15, and another 17-year-old player collapsed about 6 p.m. Aug. 20 as an hour-long practice session was ending. PRP Athletic Director Craig Webb said the heat index was 94 that day.

Forde says people will want to see how this all plays out. "I think the repercussions of this will be felt nationwide," Forde said.

Especially for those in the same position as Stinson.

"We'll have to see how things progress through the legal proceedings here. That's going to be one reason coaches nationwide will be watching and seeing what happens and how it may affect them and how they do their jobs," said Forde.

Coaches will also be looking closely because they want to see what repercussions they could face.

"The more light that's shed on this and what happened, the more it will eventually cut down on these sort of things 'cause it's an awful thing that every August or every July we hear about some football player that dies," Forde said. "And hopefully, there is a way to prevent it."

Forde adds this may be the way it had to be exposed, through the legal system.

"One thing I will say is that the initial response from the school district that basically, very quickly, a blanket statement that they didn't find anything wrong, I thought that was a very disappointing response. And I'm glad at least that somebody has taken it upon themselves to look at this with the fullest measure," said Forde.

A civil lawsuit that has been filed by Max Gilpin's parents is still ongoing. Witnesses who were attending a nearby soccer game and say they heard coaches demanding someone quit the team before their running drills stopped that hot, August day will provide depositions in the case in the next few months.

Previous Stories:

• Grand jury returns indictment against PRP head football coach
• Parents sue coaches in PRP death
• Lawsuit filed in death of PRP football player
• JCPS launches probe into death of PRP player
• Students return to PRP following weekend death of football player
• LMPD to investigate PRP football player's death
• PRP football returns to action after death of teammate
• PRP football player in ICU two days after collapsing during practice
• Two PRP football players collapse during practice