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Coaches' Liability For Athletes' Injuries And Deaths, Thomas R. Hurst, James N. Knight

UF Law Faculty Publications

In the brutally hot summer of 2001, three prominent athletes lost their lives on playing fields across the country. Football players Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings,' Rashidi Wheeler of Northwestern University, and Eraste Autin of the University Florida collapsed and died in summer practices. These practices are an annual rite that has preceded each football season since the sport was conceived approximately ninety years ago. While these deaths are tragic, they are certainly not uncommon. Since 1995, eighteen high school and collegiate football players have died while participating in practices or games. In America's litigious society, these deaths raise …