Grieving = Anger, Denial, & Blame
As a therapist I can tell you that tragedy and loss usually send people into a grieving process that involves several stages. Anger, denial and blame are all a part of this process. The problem is our "sue happy" society today gives people the ability to take action when they are often not thinking clearly because of the grieving process. It's kind of like a wounded animal striking out at everyone, even it's owner. What has happened is horrific, but the family must be supported and proper inquiry must be done to determine all factors involved. To simply blame the head coach seems overboard without knowing all the facts. Why not the coach running the drill where the boy collapsed or the waterboy for not getting water out fast enough? How about the athletic trainer, who is paid to assess and ensure the health and safety of the players? The boy was also in the hospital for several days, let's blame the doctors for not saving him? I'm not trying to be ridiculous, my point is that in tragedies like this there is usually a combination of factors and not one single action or person. Sadly, the quest for justice in an accident is usually an empty quest that is simply trying to make sense of what happened. I hope all involved can find some peace, especially the family and the coaches.
