A former little league coach who is suing one of his 14-year-old players claims he is simply looking for an apology.

Little League Coach Alan Beck says he's willing to drop the $500,000 legal action against the player and his family if they will apologize to him. The lawsuit stems from an injury Beck allegedly suffered after being struck by the player's batting helmet during a post-game celebration.  According to news reports, Beck says his Achilles tendon was partially torn by the wayward helmet and that he and other coaches had previously urged the players, including the minor named in the suit, not to throw their bats or helmets.

“He had a history of throwing the helmet. We had a safety talk about that,” Beck, a chiropractor, said. Reportedly, the decision to sue came reluctantly after months of hoping his injury would heal. The suit seeks damages for lost wages, medical expenses, general damage, loss of earning capacity and legal costs.

“They don’t believe their child did anything wrong,” said Rajdep Chima, the family’s attorney. Chima disputed Beck’s version of events and said he was confident – based on case law protecting leagues and participants from sports-injury liability – his clients would win if the suit went to trial. The league also denied any liability for Beck’s injury.

“I don’t see how it was possible, how what was alleged occurred,” Chima said. If the injury occurred during the celebration, he said, the boy’s action clearly wasn’t malicious.

But Beck says the injury did not occur during normal game play, rather during an unwarranted celebratory action that the player had previously been asked to stop. Beck said he grew increasingly annoyed with the Parises’ failure to offer sympathy or accept blame on behalf of their son for the injury.

—Source: The Sacramento Bee