Changing the Play: Football and the Criminal Law After the Trial of Jason Stinson

Abstract

(8 Willamette Sports L.J., no. 1, 2010, at 29). This article responds to the first case in which a coach was criminally charged for on-field conduct resulting in the death of a player from heat-related illness. Although the jury found the coach not guilty of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in 2009, the author expects similar cases to follow. The article analyzes coaches’ legal duty to care for players, and examines how that duty may affect a coach‘s criminal liability. It considers the arguments against imposing criminal liability in this area and describes some obstacles prosecutors face. The article concludes that criminal law should be used in similar situations, and recommends a negligent homicide theory based on a coach‘s failure to provide medical care.