Hockey Dad Indicted on Manslaughter

W O B U R N, Mass., Aug. 11 -- A man whose fight with another parent at their sons’ youth hockey game turned fatal has been indicted on a manslaughter charge.

Thomas Junta, 42, was indicted Thursday for the July 5 incidentin which Junta and Michael Costin fought over rough play betweentheir sons.

Junta was asked to leave, but reportedly returned to the rink tofight. Costin, a 40-year-old father of four, later died at ahospital.

District Attorney Martha Coakley said there is no evidence thatJunta was trying to kill Costin.

Ethics Code UnderwayThe death has become a national symbol of parental rage at youthsporting events. Some youth sports leagues have adopted asportsmanship training program developed by the National Alliancefor Youth Sports that includes an 11-point code of ethics parentsmust sign.

Youth sports violence has also drawn attention.

In Waukegan, Ill., a 16-year-old hockey player charged withinjuring a rival player during a match, leaving him paralyzed, wasfound guilty Monday of misdemeanor battery.

The Glenbrook North High School student agreed with prosecutorsthat he used his stick to push New Trier High player Neal Goss intothe boards a second after the buzzer sounded during ajunior-varsity game in Gurnee on Nov. 3. Both players were 15 atthe time. Goss, also now 16, is paralyzed below the waist and haslimited use of his arms.

The defendant entered a so-called Alford plea, not admittingguilt but agreeing to facts that allowed the judge to then find himguilty. He pleaded to a charge of simple battery, which carries amaximum penalty of one year in jail.