A former Utah high school football player has filed a lawsuit against the Utah High School Athletic Association and his school district, alleging that his coach pushed him to continue playing after he’d suffered a severe head injury.
Konnor Finn, who graduated two years ago from Ridgeline High School, is seeking a combined $300,000 from the Cache County School District and the UHSAA. Finn says he suffered an impact during practice that caused a traumatic brain injury, but his coach told him to “quit being a (expletive) and get back out there.”
Finn did as he was told but says he suffered from pain, blackouts and personality changes, which he links to the head trauma.
According to the lawsuit, Finn was forced to continue playing for two weeks following the injury. He was later admitted to the hospital where the traumatic brain injury was eventually diagnosed.
Finn’s legal team says the lawsuit is part of an attempt to cover mounting medical bills.
“Konnor’s medical bills continue to accumulate and an exact amount to date has not been determined,” his attorneys say in the lawsuit filed Monday in Logan’s 1st District Court, which was reported by KSL.com.
The suit alleges that UHSAA and the CCSD failed to properly train its coaches. Cache County School District public information officer Tim Smith said all coaches are required to complete the training and background check required by the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah High School Activities Association.
“The district takes the safety of students very serious,” Smith said, “and it’s our intent to comply with all of USBE and UHSAA rules and to follow the protocols, to make sure those students are safe.”
