South Point wrestler injured by coach; two coaches fired

Two local wrestling coaches have been fired after a South Point High School athlete was injured in practice last week.

Cody Merrill, 15, is recovering from a broken collarbone, an injury that happened when assistant coach John Goodwin wrestled with him too forcefully in practice Wednesday, the athlete’s father said.

Goodwin, head coach at Belmont Middle School at the time, was not officially a South Point assistant coach but was the only person leading that day’s practice at South Point, said the father, Shane Merrill.

Gaston County Schools on Monday fired Goodwin from his Belmont Middle job and also fired South Point head varsity wrestling coach Jock Smith, spokeswoman Bonnie Reidy confirmed. Neither were teachers.

The injury happened a few minutes after Cody ran so much that he threw up, his father said. He took his position on the mat and took a shot at Goodwin, who countered by jerking him into the air and throwing him down to the mat, Shane Merrill said. The initial force was great enough to tear a ligament before Cody could even hit the floor, a doctor told the parent.

“Common sense says use restraint,” Shane Merrill said.

Cody’s mother picked him up from practice and took him to urgent care and later to the hospital.

“It was 21 hours later when I finally got a telephone call from John Goodwin saying he was sorry what had happened to Cody,” Shane Merrill said. “And that was a call just because he was in trouble.”

Cody weighs about 145 pounds. Goodwin was a two-time state wrestling champion at South Point, winning at 171 pounds in 2006 and 2007, according to South Point’s Big Red Booster Club website. Goodwin couldn’t be reached for this story but told WBTV the injury was an accident.

“He should know how to use discretion,” Shane Merrill said. “You don’t teach a kid how to wrestle by being that rough with him.”

Cody doesn’t require surgery as of now, but he wears a sling and will be in pain for several weeks, his father said. Cody must refrain from physical activity for six to eight weeks, which means he’ll miss the remainder of the season.

This was Cody’s first year wrestling. The sophomore was slated to make his first start this past Friday in a home match against Kings Mountain.

Shane Merrill believes practice shouldn’t have been held without a school staff member present. He was told that the assistant coach had been called away to work and the head coach had attended the first bit of practice before leaving to input information on a computer.

Goodwin told WBTV he often helps at practice. Shane Merrill didn’t realize until after this incident that Goodwin wasn’t officially an assistant.

“I’ve seen him at practice before,” Shane Merrill said. “He’s been to practices and matches. I was under the impression he was an assistant coach.”

South Point athletic director Scott Lee had no comment about the incident or the previous coaches but said Karl Miller will serve as head coach for the rest of the season. Miller had been the school’s coach for many years until he resigned after last season to spend more time with family, Lee said.

Monday’s practice was called off, Lee said. The team’s next match is tonight at Hunter Huss.

Phillip Gardner: 704-869-1843; twitter.com/gazettephil