Coach Suspended for Two Games After Drill Left Football Players With Blisters and 'Burns'
The football players reported they had blisters on their hands.
— -- A Connecticut high school football coach has been suspended for two games after a drill he ordered allegedly left some of his players with blisters and "burn-like" injuries, school officials said today.
Football players at Stratford High School in Stratford, Connecticut, were disciplined earlier this week by being forced to do a spider crawl across the field -- facing the sky with hands and feet touching the ground. The air temperature was above 90 degrees, and because the field was artificial turf, the hot material left some players with blisters or "burn-like" injuries, according to ABC's New York station WABC.
At least six students said they had blistered hands, according to a statement by Stratford schools Superintendent Janet Robinson.
Robinson announced today that the team's coach, T.J. Cavaliere, would be disciplined for his actions with a two-game suspension. The incident was "isolated" and related to "poor judgment," she told reporters at a news conference.
"T.J. Cavaliere immediately realized his poor judgment and apologized via email to both the players and their parents," Robinson said in a separate statement to ABC News.
One of the football players told WABC that he thought the coach was unaware that the turf could create serious injuries.
"I did the drill," Zach Smith said. "He's the kind of guy if he knew that was going to happen, he would not have done it."
Cavaliere did not immediately respond to calls from ABC News seeking comment on the incident. Officials at Stratford High School referred questions to the superintendent.