Coach Stinson trial

[mhall]

Guys I think what they are doing to this man is wrong. They are trying to paint this fella as some heartless murderer and I just don't see it.

Did he set out that day to hurt kids with his hardnose style, Of Course Not! Alot of coaches push kids to become better, that's the idea, you guys ever have one of those, lol. Chances are that fella you are remembering cared about you enough to push you to be a better player and a person.

I just don't see or understand treating this man like some common thug that shot somebody holding up the Circle K store down the street. Just some thoughts I have on this, it's kinda tough to watch. We continue to tie teachers and authority figues by the wrists in this society today and it sure as heck isn't a good thing.

[Tim_T]

I am with you Mark. I don't believe he did anything wrong and I don't see how they even have a trial considering that the mother would not allow an autopsy. Also, if he was on supplements, he could have become dehydrated. I have heard creatine will dehydrate you pretty easily and a lot of these kids are taking it.

Heck the dad was at practice and didn't have a problem with anything until later.

[Chubminnow]

Your all's support is nice to read as this is my neck of the woods, I went to high school there, etc...

I'm not sure why the mother would not allow an autopsy be performed, this is the first I have heard that she would not allow it...someone last week mentioned to me that the kid was on some sort of medication although I do not know if there is any truth to this or not...maybe he was taking something for ADD or HDD or whatever other prescribed drug is out there for kids now days. I have been told that some of these drugs can elevate one's body temperature. Once again, I didn't know she didn't allow the autopsy to take place.

Back when I was a kid the only prescribed drug for any "disorder" was a good spanking from school followed by another spanking at home. I remember getting lit up one time by the dag gone gym coach...man my seat was on fire!! Shheewwww-wweeeeee!!!!!!

One things's for sure...the young man lived up to his name for sure by going the distance, he definitely had the eye of the tiger, never say uncle attitude. To bad it ended the way it did.

[bassiusmaximus]

I think the prosecution and persecution of this coach is a tragedy. This has taken away from the memory of this young mans life and everything he strived to be. This coach was hired to push these young mens minds and bodies to the limits to show them that they can do more than they think they can. And if he wasn't doing this then these same parents would be wanting him to be fired. Tragedies happen in life everyday and that's exactly what this was, a tragedy. Although I am deeply sorry for this families loss I feel that they are only compounding their agony by going this route. This is not going to bring him back and it will not make the loss go away. If this coach is on trial then the parents should be as well. The parents have the number one responsibility in deciding if their kid is going to participate in these activities not the coach.
I remember when I was a teenager and me and some of my friends were playing dunkball at the local elementary school on them lowered goals. When we got done we all went home. One of my friends went home and died after he sat down on his couch. We later found out after an autopsy that he had mafans syndrome and none of us would have imagined that he had any kind of health problem. He was a force to reckoned with at anything he did. Granted there wasn't a coach there but it would not have made a difference if their was.
Like I said tagedies happen all the time. See ya soon Dennis......

[DJD]

It's wrong to go after the coach...sure looking into a death is understandable but to take it further is criminal. Another example of the Lawyers going after everything they can to make a buck.
Wonder if volunteer coaching will become a thing of the past?

[HiDefFisherman]

Mark, I am with you all the way. If he was at fault, then why was only one player affected?

Don't get me wrong, it is a crying shame that the young fellow lost his life. I feel so greatly for his family, but he chose to play football. I never understand how so many choose to do something, then if it turns out baddly, they blame those they chose to do it with... in this case playing football.

Heck, I remember many a two a day vomitting!!! Back then, if at least 5 of us did not heave ho, the coaches were thought to be going too easily on us.

I can guarantee you no coach goes out to have a player pass away, and I can promise you that every coach I played for truely cared for each of us on the team, and I can't imagine the agony he would put himself through if one of us had passed away.

My prayers are with the family, and the coach,

tight lines,

HDF

PS, I failed to include this thought in my original post... I chose to play football, I chose to run the drills, no one forced me, although my dad did put a lot of pressure on me. Ultimately though, the decision to allow the young man to play rested with the young man, and his parents... mother and father. I did not know the father was there. He could have at any time said "I choose to not allow my son to participate any further." and then the young man would still be with them??? I guess that depends on your view of destiny. Now we are getting into religion, and I'm not prepared to discuss that here.

Tight lines,

HDF

[know1]

I also think it's wrong to go after the coach like this. As someone else said, if it was more than one player who had an issue, perhaps it was the coach's fault, but this is one kid out of 50. Something else was at play here.

[CTFSHWHISKER]

i know him,he is not a hard nose man at all,maybe a hardnose coach,but most any good ones are.He has done absolutley nothing any other coach hasn't.when i played if we had too many go out for the team that is how they were weeded down,run them out.After just completeing my stint on a grand jury,i don't see how they even sent it to trial..most anyone i have talked to feels the same as us.

[cra97]

I agree with everyone else here on this issue and feel for both the coach and family on this issue. I got particularly concerned when I read the comment on "volunteer coaching positions" though. In Louisville, we rely on the kind-hearted parents (in most cases anyway) who choose to come out and coach our kids in youth sports all the time. How IS this going to effect this now? I was at a recent football practice, where I was helping coach the defense, and the rules that these coaches have put on them now are INSANE!!! I called this one kid a "bonehead", not in a loud, outrageous way either, and the head-coach "talked" with me about only being able to call the kids by their "given names"!?!?!?!? Its no wonder the team stinks and is 0 for the season!! If they ever "talked" to every coach I had growing up that called someone a name, let alone cuss (which in the Fern Creek Optimist League here, the ones I am talking about specifically, will get you fired), we would have NEVER had any coaches!! This is going to have such far reaching ramifications that I am afraid our kids are soon going to be talking back to the coaches like the some of the kids already do in schools. Were does this insanity stop and good "old-fashion coaching" start back again?? Ok, enough ranting on this I guess, hope in the end the coach is let go and the parents put this to rest while trying to move foward after this terrible turn of events.

Rob Appleby

[RoadToad]

I guess you all saw this already, but if you didn't, he was acquitted:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/17/...ial/index.html

[jcb]

Yep didn't take the jury long to do the right thing. I hope Stinson, and the Gilpin family can put this all behind them with time.

[mhall]

The system got it right for once, Hoorah! Now somebody hire this man and maybe he can get on with a normal life.