On track for a lawsuit

This lawsuit gives a new meaning to the phrase “Speed kills”. A father in New Jersey has sued his son’s school for kicking him off of the track team. Mawusimensah Mears, who ran track for Sterling Regional High School in Camden County, had reportedly been skipping out on practice after his coaches left him on the bench. The boy’s father, Ervin Mears Jr, goes as far as to claim that his was being ridiculed by his teammates for being faster than them. The younger Mears had also missed practice due to an injury and a death in the family. The father is seeking damages up to $40 million against the school, track coach, and principal, among other parties.It is unclear to what extent of this $40 million lawsuit is seeking damages due to the son’s feeling that he was disrespected by the track coaches. The main motivation behind the lawsuit seems to be that, since the young Mears is not participating in meets, he will not be eligible for a college scholarship. “That’s my son,” Ervin Mears said. “I better interfere. I better make sure he gets every opportunity.” Mawusimensah is a decorated track athlete, winning multiple medals in the 200-, 400-, and 800-meter races in grade school. His father filed a lawsuit without any representation from a lawyer.

While it is easy to understand that a father wants to do right by his son, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. This can be chalked up a parent getting way too involved in his son’s life, and it seems to be having a negative connotation. Although an injury and a death in the family are legitimate excuses to miss practice, one begins to wonder why a coach would simply not let Mawusimensah run in the school’s meets, unless he was trying to send a message. The details of this story remain relatively clouded, and it leads you to believe that both sides are not blame-free. Either way, the seemingly random number of $40 million certainly raises an eyebrow.