The heat was too much for a high school student who was sprinting during football practice on Monday evening and police are faulting the coaches.
The student was in the middle of sprinting laps up a hill at Middletown High School when he collapsed at around 7:30 p.m., about 90 minutes into a practice that included weight training and running. According to police, no water was provided during practice.
Police said that, according to the National Weather Service, the approximate temperature at the time was 93 degrees with a heat index of about 100.
The student, whose name has not been released, was taken by ambulance to Middlesex Hospital.
Middletown Athletic Director Mike Pitruzzello disputed what police reported.
He told NBC Connecticut that the player was feeling lightheaded and was taken to the school nurse. He said the player did not collapse but was taken to the hospital in an ambulance because that is standard operating procedure for someone underage who is lightheaded or dehydrated.
The boy was released from the hospital on Tuesday night.
Local
Two assistant football coaches, Kelly Ellis and Joshua Hamilton, each received a misdemeanor summons for second-degree reckless endangerment. Hamilton had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failure to respond to an infraction, police said.
