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The Daily Insight

Who is John Harrell? Rockwall Heath High School coach placed on leave after making athletes do 300 push-ups as punishment

Author

James Bradley

Published Jan 28, 2026

John Harrell, the head football trainer at Rockwall Heath Secondary School in Texas, was suspended after a portion of the players must be either hospitalized or required clinical consideration in the wake of being thoroughly rebuffed to do 300 push-ups. The head at Rockwall affirmed that means are being taken to find out precisely exact thing caused this calamity.

As indicated by the school area, an autonomous outsider was employed to research the episode. They said:

“Understudy wellbeing is a main concern for Rockwall ISD. We will keep on going to prompt and proper lengths to the greatest advantage of our understudies as we address what is happening.”
John Harrell has since been put on semi-voluntary vacation. He is probably going to stay suspended until the examination is finished. The chief informed the guardians in a letter that the occurrence occurred on Friday, January 6, during an off-meeting football match.

The letter, in any case, didn’t make reference to the quantity of understudies that should have been hospitalized, nor did it determine precisely exact thing happened to them. As per one of the guardians whose youngsters were hospitalized, John Harrell caused the competitors to complete 300 pushups in an hour with no break or water.

The parent guaranteed that their youngster has been determined to have rhabdomyolysis. They asked FOX 4 not to unveil their character and said:

Harrell has been in the school’s football program as a mentor starting around 2019. He was made Rockwall Heath’s head football trainer in 2022. Harrell has likewise instructed other football programs around North Texas.

Brady Luff, the football crew’s lesser commander at Rockwall Heath, who was available at the exercise, said that he accepts Harrell didn’t rebuff the players, yet he was imparting discipline in them all things being equal.

He went against the assertion given by one of the guardians who said that the understudies were not permitted to hydrate or enjoy some time off during the push-ups. Luff asserted that water was accessible to the players and they were additionally allowed to leave.

He added that mentor Harrell treated the competitors with only regard and that Harrell loves each and every one of them like his own.

Brady Luff’s mom, Stephanie Luff, shielded the mentor too. She said:

“Thus, assuming anything was happening with this present circumstance that I thought these children were being hurt, I would’ve been the main individual up at the vital’s office or any place I really want to go to have this closed down.”
A portion of the competitors communicated their anxiety about the effect this occurrence would have in the group’s spirit. A senior and previous football player, Caden Washburn, said that he felt like there were a couple of children with whom the push-ups didn’t function admirably.

Last Monday, the athletic mentor at Rockwall Heath conveyed messages to the players’ families, who were in that off-meeting match, encouraging them to keep an eye out for side effects, for example, stomach issues and sharp arm torment.

JUST IN: Rockwall-Heath’s varsity football coach, John Harrell, is now on administrative leave pending a third-party investigation after several students needed medical attention/hospitalization after an offseason workout last Friday.

This letter 👇🏻 was sent to parents today.

— Matt Howerton (@HowertonNews) January 10, 2023


The school area said that it has been keeping refreshes on the impacted competitors and has been in contact with their families.

John Harrell’s athletic encounters during his vocation incorporate Head Powerlifting Trainer, Run Game Facilitator, and Hostile Organizer. Harrell has likewise shown Geology and World History already.

His most memorable training experience was as a Tight End Graduate Right hand Mentor and a Hostile Line at the university level at Tarleton State College. John Harrell trained in similar situations at Hutchinson Junior college and Coffeyville Junior college in Kansas.

He has been filling in as a Run Game Facilitator and the Lead trainer at Rockwall Heath Secondary School.