A San Antonio father is outraged after his son suffered blistering from outdoor football drills with no hand protection provided by the school.

Coach Apologizes for Student’s Injury

A father of an injured Memorial High School football player is blaming the team’s coach and the school for burns that his son sustained during football practice. The man, Jacob Obregon, took to the internet to voice his outrage when his 15-year-old son came home from football practice with blisters and burns on his palms. The young man was made to do bear crawls barehanded in the August heat by his football coach as punishment for tardiness, reports KENS 5.

The father confronted the coach, saying that the punishment was in “poor judgment” as the school provided no protective gloves for such drills. The coach took blame for the injuries that his son sustained, said Obregon, and “was sincere” in his apology.

Robert Gomez, Edgewood ISD’s athletic director, insists that there was no malicious intent on the part of the coach and described that bear crawls are a standard drill used in football practices. Gomez said football is a tough sport but the program takes every precaution and will “now consider making adjustments to their drills.”

Sports Injuries Statistics

• StopSportsInjuries.org reports that U.S. high school athletes account for 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.
• 62% of all organized sports-related injuries occur during practice
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of all sports-related injuries in children could be prevented
• Among athletes aged 5 to 14, 28% of football players were injured while playing.