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A Tennessee family is suing the University of the Cumberlands following the death of a 20-year-old wrestling student last year.
In the lawsuit filed Monday, Brace’s family calls the athlete’s death “tragic and entirely avoidable,“the newspaper reports.
The lawsuit alleges that on Aug. 31 — which was the first training day of the season — the team was told to sprint up and down a steep “punishment hill” seven times. Brace completed a few of the circuits before sitting down due to exhaustion, the lawsuit alleges according to the newspaper.
The documents claim that Brace was then heard saying, “I need water, somebody help me” and “I feel like I am going to die, I feel like my head is going to explode,” the newspaper reports.
Brace was told to “get out” of practice and was later found dead outside, collapsed in the grass near a construction fence on campus, according to the family’s complaint WATE reports.
Countryman and Sinkovics are accused of gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, according to theHerald-Leader.
In addition to the former coaches, other defendants on the lawsuit are Cumberland Foundation, University President Larry Cockrum, Cumberland Athletic Properties, and Athletics Director Chris Kraftick, the newspaper states.
In a response to the lawsuit, the university issued a statement to WATE, writing: “Grant’s death was a tragic loss for his family, his friends, the University community, and all who knew him. In the wake of this tragedy, the University has tried its best to be sympathetic and respectful to Grant’s family and to ensure that all of its athletic programs, including the wrestling program, were and are being operated in a safe manner.”
“The University questions several of the allegations in the complaint and does not feel that the complaint is a fair reflection of its wrestling program. Out of respect for all concerned and for the legal process, the University will not address individual allegations publicly but will instead present its defenses to the claims through the legal proceeding.”
The University of Cumberlands did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the lawsuit against the school or its coaches.
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Brace joined the University of Cumberlands wrestling team as a first-year student in 2018, according tohis biographyon the school’s athletics website.
source: people.com
