Stinson Pleads Not Guilty To Reissued Endangerment Charge

((HT: Louisville Courier-Journal/Yetter))

Jason Stinson ((pictured, thanks Louisville Courier-Journal file)), former coach at Pleasure Ridge Park High School, was indicted Tuesday in connection with a player's death just a few hours after his lawyers unsuccessfully argued the August grand jury shouldn't hear the case a second time.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Susan Schultz Gibson dismissed the initial charge Friday after Stinson's lawyers argued prosecutors failed to let grand jurors know the coach wanted to testify about the death of former player Max Gilpin last year. Prosecutors said they would take the charge back to the same grand jury to reconsider and inform members that they could ask to hear from Stinson.

But defense lawyers objected, saying the grand jury is biased because it already had decided the case.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Geoffrey Morris, who oversees the grand jury, on Tuesday rejected that argument. He said current grand jurors could hear from Stinson if they wish about the charge related to the Aug. 23, 2008, death of Max, a 15-year-old lineman on the Pleasure Ridge Park High School football team.

Alex Dathorne, a lawyer for Stinson, argued the case should be presented to the next grand jury to be seated in September. But that would delay Stinson's trial, set for Aug. 31, and Morris said prosecutors can simply inform the current grand jury members they could ask to hear from Stinson and reconsider their decision.Dathorne said Stinson was not asked to testify Tuesday by the grand jury.

Dick Irby has the details from downtown court...
Thanks to our friends at Fox41/WDRB-TV in Louisville


Those of us at OSG HQ think the two charges, much to the angst and anger of the defense, will be rolled over into one trial.

And that Stinson is in a world of trouble...

We've long maintained that this particular case will serve as a bell-weather for all high school football coaches across the country. While we maintain what Stinson did as a coach can be classified as "just football," we're not in "just America" anymore.

The overly-litigious nature of society today will make sure that a lot of the personality of sports is taken out of it. Under no circumstance or variable do we condone the death of a young man.

Never, never, never, never, never...

Yes, coaches should be careful. But, at the same time, there's a diffferent element to sports. It's always been used to build young men into older men who can understand responsibility, courage, fight, and all the other benefits that go along.

If Stinson is found guilty in this case, that balance will get tipped severely...