When Michael Oddenino’s teenage daughter complained that her softball coach was insulting her teammates, Michael took things a step farther.
Michael Oddenino, an attorney, filed a lawsuit claiming coach Don Riggio inflicted emotional distress on a player when he called her “a 2-year-old” and frequently called other players idiots.
The suit sought $3 million for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligence, a civil rights violation, and sex discrimination.
But a California judge dismissed the case, saying there is nothing wrong with “a coach pushing an athlete to excel, and in so doing, using words that in another context would be considered rude, demeaning and even intimidating.”
After the judge’s decision, Coach Riggio said, “I’m just glad it’s over. Now we can move forward and do what we’re there for, and that’s to coach.”
Was this coach too tough on his players or was this player and her father being overly sensitive?
