Community Education Sports

Family of football player injured in 2023 Fish Bowl sues Peninsula School District, coach

Posted on November 1st, 2024 By: Christina T Henry

The family of a Gig Harbor High School quarterback who was seriously injured during Fish Bowl 2023 is suing Peninsula School District. Also named as defendants in the suit are Ross Filkins, coach and athletic director of Peninsula High School, as well as the PHS student who made the tackle.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, alleges Filkins incited a violent level of play that put the quarterback and other players at risk. Plaintiffs allege the district was negligent in failing to provide oversight of safe play and in failing to provide adequate security for the game, which is a long-standing annual rivalry between the two schools.

Fish Bowl 2024 took place in a new venue with stepped up security, part of Peninsula School District’s efforts to improve sportsmanship and safety at athletic events.

Peninsula coach Ross Filkins, center, talks things over with referees, district administrators and Gig Harbor coaches during the 2024 Fish Bowl at Mount Tahoma High School. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Lawsuit allegations

According to lawsuit documents, during the game, a Peninsula High player intercepted a pass by the Gig Harbor quarterback. As the quarterback ran down the field, the Peninsula player named in the suit hit him after referees blew their whistles to end the play.

The quarterback’s helmet flew off, and the Peninsula player allegedly “threw him to the ground and ‘tomahawked’ him in the head,” according to court documents.

Medical aid was delayed for about 30 minutes, according to the suit, because of the district’s “failure to plan and provide for emergency personnel access.”

Medics from Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One were on duty at the game. But they were responding to an emergency involving another student at the stadium.

The quarterback suffered a serious concussion, a broken jaw, lacerations, and he lost a tooth, according to the family’s attorney, Kevin Hastings with Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala PLLC. He was initially knocked unconscious and lost all feeling in his legs for 8 to 10 hours.

The quarterback recovered from his injuries, played in a game later that season and began the 2024 season as the Tides’ starting quarterback. But there are concerns about long-term impacts, such as bone loss from the lost tooth, Hastings said.

A scene from the 2023 Fish Bowl. Photo by Christi Adams

Fish Bowl debacle

In addition to the quarterback’s injuries, Fish Bowl 2023 was marred by unsportsmanlike behavior on the field and in the stands. After the injury, tensions between the two schools’ coaching staffs erupted into threats, aggressive confrontations and profanity, according to documents from an investigation conducted by the district. The district reprimanded several coaches from both teams, including Filkins.

“My clients know firsthand, the Fish Bowl game is very important to the community,” Hastings said. “It has a storied tradition, and it’s wonderful, and it is the tapestry of the community, and it should be something that’s celebrated, and it is. But what it shouldn’t be is a playing field where kids are sent after each other, where kids are revved up to go out there and hurt another kid, because that’s not what the game is about.”

He noted that the district has undertaken a widespread initiative toward a safer, more positive culture of competition.

“We welcome all changes that improve the overall experience of sport and athletics at the Peninsula School District, not only for the safety of the kids, but their overall enjoyment,” Hastings said.

Allegations against coach

The suit alleges that the hit on the quarterback and resulting injuries stemmed from Filkins’ aggressive leadership of the Peninsula High team.

“There has been a long-standing history and pattern of impermissible game conduct on the part of Peninsula High players designed to inflict injuries on Gig Harbor High School football players, specifically targeting the quarterbacks, during the annual Fish Bowl Game under the leadership of Defendant Filkins,” court documents state.

The suit includes a screen grab of a social media post made by Filkins using an account called @PenHSathletes. The suit alleges that the post shows the field from the perspective of the downed Gig Harbor player. It includes the message: “I’ve never been more Peninsula Proud.”

“We recognize that there’s inherent danger associated with football,” Hastings said. “Everyone understands that there’s tackles, someone gets a busted-up knee or something like that. But it’s another thing to have targets and bounties on kids.”

The suit cites civil rights violations because of Filkins’ position of authority and oversight of players’ actions.

The suit also includes up to 15 as-yet unnamed defendants.

Filkins did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Gig Harbor Now. Peninsula School District Communications Coordinator Danielle Chastaine said the district does not comment on ongoing litigation.

Conflict of interest

Hastings said Filkins’ roles both as the Seahawks’ coach and the district’s acting athletic director was problematic.

“Part of the problem with having someone in that dual role is that there’s no oversight,” Hastings said. “Coach Filkins wasn’t answering to anyone, and so this program, where as we allege, was spinning out of control with, you know, Coach Filkins inciting violence among his players. That’s a huge source of concern for my clients, and it should be for the community.

He noted the district hired a new athletic director this year, leaving Filkins as the Seahawks’ coach.

“We’re welcome with any change. But it’s a little too little, too late,” Hastings said.

Allegations against the district

The suit alleges the district didn’t plan adequate security for crowd control and field access for emergency personnel, which resulted in delayed medical aid to the quarterback.

“The district knew that thousands of fans would likely attend the game based on attendance in prior years and ticket sales leading up to the event,” court documents state. Yet it “failed to provide adequate security to prevent unreasonable dangers to game participants and attendees, failed to provide adequate medical personnel to respond to injuries and other medical emergencies, and failed to ensure that medical personnel and emergency first responders had unobstructed access to the football field.”

In addition to monetary damages, the plaintiffs are seeking an injunction or order from the court prohibiting defendants “from continuing to expose children to grave harm during school sponsored football games.”