Parents of football player who died sue school district

JACKSON, Miss. — The parents of a Mississippi high school football player have filed a lawsuit against a school district after the teenager died following a collapse during practice in 2022.

Phillip and Ashanta Laster, of Pearl, filed the lawsuit on Jan. 11 in federal court for the Southern District of Mississippi. It names Rankin County School District as the sole defendant.

The Lasters’ 17-year-old son, Phillip “Trey” Laster, died from a cardiac arrhythmia after collapsing during an afternoon football practice at Brandon High School on Aug. 1, 2022.

“No child should ever be in danger of losing their life in pursuit of a passion, especially under the supervision and instruction of adults who should know when to stop pushing these young athletes,” attorney Benjamin Crump said in a news release. “Trey’s tragic death could have been, and should have been, prevented by those in charge, and shows a troubling lack of adherence to guidelines surrounding heat exhaustion prevention.”

Laster’s death occurred during the hottest part of the day. According to the complaint, as soon as he arrived at practice, his coaches immediately ordered him to do wind sprints. While he was running, Laster began exhibiting signs of heat exhaustion that included stumbling and becoming dizzy and nauseous, the complaint says. Ultimately, Laster vomited and then passed out due to the extreme conditions and his coaches’ failure to properly adjust the training to the environment and his highrisk factors, the lawsuit said.

According to the complaint, because it was the first day of practice, the football players had not gone through a two-week acclimatization to the heat. Laster, a 6-foot-1, 328-pound lineman, was at higher risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke.