'Keep Harrell': Dozens of students show up to school board meeting to back football coach who was suspended for a 400-push-up punishment

Approximately 40 students attended a Rockwall, Texas, school board meeting wearing "Keep Harrell" T-shirts in defense of high school football coach John Harrell, who was recently suspended for issuing upwards of 400 push-ups during a football practice.

According to the New York Post, the attending students are from the school's varsity football team that participated in the off-season workout that resulted in eight players going to the hospital.

At least one student suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a condition resulting from the breaking down of muscle tissue that releases chemicals into the blood after continuous stress on the muscles. The condition can also cause kidney damage.

The team captain, who previously defended Coach Harrell, gave remarks at the meeting, saying it "isn’t about choosing sides."

“We want to support Coach Harrell and all of our teammates. Harrell has been a father figure to a lot of these boys, including me," the teen continued.

One parent told local reporters that her son spent seven days in a hospital and was unable to do basic hygienic tasks due to his injuries.

“He could not lift his arms, brush his teeth. He could not lift his hands to wash his face. He had swelling in his muscles,” the mother, who is a doctor, said.

A parent who attended the meeting alluded to the idea that parents of football players should better physically prepare the students outside the school.

"I think some of us as parents have failed. ... We should push them and do what we need to as far as at home, just because what the demand is when they do go to school," the father said.

"It's bound to happen again, maybe not this year, maybe not next year, but it's going to come up again, because it's football," he added.

According to reports, Child Protective Services has opened its own investigation into the incident, separate from the district's own investigation. However, the school board did not have any updates regarding the situation during the meeting, but after the students spoke, board President Linda Mitchell Duran gave her condolences.

"Our hearts and our prayers go out to all the children involved, all the parents involved, all the faculty involved," Duran said.

None of the parents of the hospitalized students attended the school board meeting, with two parents who spoke to a Fox4 reporter saying that they did not plan to attend.

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