One decision to tell a player to slide nearly ruined that coach’s life, according to Steve Politi of NJ Advance Media. A New Jersey high school baseball coach was sued after one of his star players got injured sliding into third base. The coach John Suk instructed the player Jake Mesar to slide into the base .
Mesar, who was 15 at the time, heard a pop in his ankle and needed several surgeries to correct the issue. The injury was much worse than you might expect, according to Politi.
Baseball was the least of his worries. Even after three surgeries, the ankle was not improving — one doctor even presented amputation as a possible outcome. A specialist from the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, Robert Rozbruch, found post-traumatic arthritis and signs of necrosis — evidence the bone was dying.
Doctors were able to repair Mesar’s ankle but unfortunately, his baseball career was over. Mesar’s attorneys called Suk’s coaching experience and education into question. They painstakingly went over the play, questioning whether Suk gave Mesar enough time to slide and whether Suk was paying attention during the play.
Although in the end, the jury was on board and Suk won his ongoing legal battle.
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