Coaches Power

[Will11]

This is unbelievable Parents suing coaches !!!!

[Will11]

(CBS) As the head baseball coach at Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, Calif., John Emme tries to motivate his players from the side lines. But lately his coaching has put him in the legal spotlight -- he's been sued by an angry parent who claims Emme spoiled his son's chances for big league play.

The case centers around student J.D. Martinez, reports CBS News Correspondent Sandra Hughes. His father claims Emme made Martinez pitch too much. Dr. Marc Martinez says when he threatened to go to the school district with his complaints, “(Emme responded) ‘if you do that I'm going to keep your son from playing college baseball’ -- he actually said ‘I'm going to close the door on J.D. playing baseball in college.’â€

Martinez sued and pulled his son off the team. The father explains, “We just wanted to hold him accountable for what he was threatening to do: keep J.D. from playing college baseball.â€

So-called "disappointment lawsuits" have been on the rise for years. From cheerleading and football to basketball and baseball, more and more parents are taking their kids’ coaches to court.

Prof. Bob Jarvis of Nova Southeastern University says, “When you look at someone like Lebron James getting $90 million before he's played a single professional game, you can't help as a parent to start to think about, ‘Well, maybe my child can get in on this gravy train.’â€

Legal experts say the cases normaly succeed in court. But they are having an effect: high schools are finding it harder to recruit coaches, who fear they may be targeted by a disgruntled parent.

And coaches like Ryan Curry, a basketball coach at Corona Del Mar, say his job description has already changed. “I think it makes you question whether or not your job is to help high school kids be successful and have a great high school career or it's to help high school kids get into college and have a great college career," he says.

J.D. Martinez went on to college, but not as a baseball player.

Emme says, “His classmates won a league championship and that's something you cherish forever and unfortunately in this whole deal, really the only victim's him.â€

[SilsbeeD]

stupid parents, always thinking their kid is a gift to sports

[Ty Cobb]

It seems that parents have forgotten why their children go to school. Kids go to school to learn. They play sports to have fun and to learn how to work together. For some reason parents think that a Lebron James happens all the time. Wrong!! Those type of athletes come along few and far between. There are not Kobe Bryants in every highschool. I hear this all the time: My son/daughter was an all-star in little league. He/she should start on the varsity as a freshman and then get a scholarship. For those of you that don't know, little league means squat. Scholarships don't just grow on trees.

Think of it this way: In 3A, the average footall team has about 40-50 players. That's 40-50 players for every 3A school across the state of Texas. Think how good you have to be to stand out in that crowd. Then add all other classifications to the mix. 6-man, 1A, 2A, 4A, and 5A. Even harder to stand out in that group. Now add the 49 other states. See how hard it is to get a scholarship. Oh yeah, I forgot to say it's the coaches fault if a child doesn't get a scholarship.

[Guest Penny]

Did I miss something, or did the father say he was suing because the coach was pitching him too many innings? If that's the case, then I don't understand why he didn't have a valid arguement. Over-use in high school is prevalent if you don't have a coach who has the kids best interest in mind, I would say this case has some merit. It would be nice if these things were handled out of the court room, but this kind of thing happens from little league ages on up... some, not all, coaches don't have the kids best long term interest in mind. Just my opinion.

[MIF04]

Should a coach get sued because a kid didn't turn out to be as good a player as the parents thought/hoped? Nor should a teacher get sued because a kid didn't get into Harvard? But, is there some point where the coach, or teacher, does fail to treat a player/student appropriately and therefore have some legal responsibility for that? Or, is the coach/teacher beyond question (above the law)?

As with most situations, it always depends on the circumstances. But, be honest -- a coach or teacher does that to YOUR kid. You not gonna call someone?

[rhino1877]

I wish parents would just let us coach. I understand if some coaches go to far, but most of us won't. We know just a little bit more than some parents.

[KFDM COOP]

I agree!

[rhino1877]

And also this might not be all to the story.

[bigred75]

I have to agree that it may have some merit. If a coach said that to me about my kid not getting any looks from colleges because he was gonna make sure of it then I would have been a little upset as well. Not sure about sueing but I would have made some noise.

Now the thing about the coaches knowing more than the parents.......I will have to agree with that when it comes to a lot of stuff, but when your kids health is in question?? (ex:pitching to many innings or games, just for wins) I might have to agree with the parent.

Also coaches do help players get scholarships. That is fact. They can put there kids out there, get there name a little attention, and there are lots of scholarships out there, not necessarily at the D-1 level, but plenty of D-2 schools and NAIA are out there as well, and they would not know who you are if a coach doesnt make some noise about you and gets on the phone. Just telling it like it is...........