High School Football Players Suffer Concussions at Clinic

Coaches accused of putting teens at risk at football training camp

Three high school football players were seriously injured at a training camp last weekend, and coaches have been accused of putting the student athletes at risk.

"The coaches chose not to do what they were supposed to do," said Joseph Cammarata, the lawyer representing the injured players. "The coaches were to supervise children that were on that field, the coaches were to protect those children from harm, and they failed in all those respects."

Some parents say a drill at the Northern Virginia Riddell All-American Training Camp Elite Skills and Lineman Showcase at the Dulles Sports Plex got out of hand and players were hurt.

"They were sent on a collision course, unknown to them," Cammarata said. "The coaches blew their whistle, told them to run toward each other, and when they got to the middle of the field, they collided with each other."

The players didn't wear pads or helmets during the drill, and medical personnel were not standing by, parents said.

A 16-year-old DeMatha High School football player said he can't remember much from the day he was injured at the training camp. He remembers putting on his cleats but little else.

"Concussion is a brain injury," Cammarata said. "Each of those children suffered a concussion -- a brain injury. One of the children had his skull fractured and was bleeding on the brain. Another child has no real recollection of what went on that day."

Wayne Yarborough, the organizer of the event, said parents knew what was going on at the training camp and knew there was a risk of injury. Parents signed waivers and released the camp and its organizers of liability.

Yarborough spent all night at the hospital with one of the injured players, he said. He's upset that the players were injured.

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