Kentucky College to Pay $14.1 Million After Wrestler’s Tragic Death During Practice

A college in Kentucky has reached a settlement of more than $14 million with the family of a student who does of a heat stroke in 2020, according to CNN. The University of the Cumberlands said it is paying $14.1 million to the family of Grant Brace, a wrestler who died after a “punishment practice” during which the coaches “ignored Grant’s deteriorating medical condition throughout practice,” according to the lawsuit that was filed by Brace’s family. Brace was found dead “with his hands clinched in the grass and dirt after a desperate and erratic search for assistance and water.” He was 20 years old. 

“Grant was a talented, well-liked young man entering his junior year with a bright future ahead of him,” Chancellor Jerry Jackson said in a statement Wednesday. “Our University community continues to mourn his untimely loss. We sincerely hope that resolving this matter early in the legal process will offer the Brace family a measure of peace and healing.”

On the day Brace died, the wrestling team had its first training day of the season, led by then-head coach Jordan Countryman and assistant coach Jake Sinkovics, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. The team had their “punishment practice” on the “punishment hill,” which required the athletes to sprint up and down the hill for seven circuits. Brace sat down after completing several circuits and was later heard saying “I’m done.” He left to find assistance and water before collapsing. 

“The safety of the University’s students and athletes has been and always will be the top priority of the University,” the university said in a statement. “As it has in the past, the University will continue to ensure that its athletic department protocols, including those addressing heat-illness, remain aligned with NAIA standards. The University welcomes the opportunity to work with the Brace family’s consultant to ensure it is providing the safest environment possible for student-athletes in all sports.”

According to the Daily Mail, Countryman, who was named in the lawsuit, resigned as head coach in April 2021, just six months after the incident. Most recently, Countryman was a high school wrestling coach in Mobile County, Alabama. Months before the incident, Countryman was named Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year.