NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Referee Trae Cardwell is suing Head Coach William Thomas of Hunters Lane High School for negligence during a high school football game on August 19, 2022.
Cardwell was the Headsline of the football game; during the first half, on a punt and you see Cardwell running down the sideline, then you see coach William extend his arm and "clothesline" him and fall to the ground.
We only have video of him running into the arm of Coach William and two seconds of him on the ground before the clip ends.
Coach William was supposedly standing either on the field or in the "restricted area." The "restricted area is a three-foot wide "buffer" zone where coaches and players stand on the sideline.
Players and coaches are not allowed to stand in the field of play or the restricted area during a live play.
Hunter Lane's team was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct against the head coach in the game. Then there was a break during the game to make sure that Cardwell was okay and could finish the game.
Cardwell was able to finish the game. However, once he got home, he had trouble breathing and was taken to the University of Kentucky Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit, where he stayed for four days.
On May 1, Cardwell filed a lawsuit against head coach Williams, the Metropolitan Gov. of Nashville, and Davidson County.
