Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Former baseball player sues UTSA

Former UTSA baseball player and Cincinnati Reds draft pick Jason Vecchio has filed a lawsuit against UTSA claiming an injury he suffered while playing for UTSA ruined his professional baseball career.

According to the lawsuit obtained by The Paisano, Vecchio claims that “he was subjected to several military style training drills which he was unaccustomed to performing and which were physically inappropriate.”

Vecchio was a promising talent for UTSA as a senior in 2005. He was drafted by the Reds in the 16th round of the 2005 draft.

Vecchio and ten of his teammates missed curfew back in April 2005 at Sam Houston State. Vecchio and his teammates were punished by being suspended for the next game and being subject to “military style drills.”

Vecchio claims that during these “military style drills,” his shoulder to pop and he was unable to throw the day after.

Soon after, Vecchio says he was given a cortisone shot and continued to pitch. His suit claims the coaching staff’s negligent decision to continue him pitch further damaged his shoulder. Later, an MRI found a tear in Vecchio’s rotator cuff.

Student assistant coach Sam Mitchell and volunteer assistant coach Hector Rodriguez oversaw the drills for the 11 players punished.

“We had a three game series [against Sam Houston State], and him [Vecchio] and three others went out on a Saturday night and missed curfew,” one former UTSA teammate said.

The former teammate said that Vecchio sat out for only a couple of weeks but he did acknowledge that Vecchio was complaining about his arm hurting. He also said Vecchio was back to throwing more than 90 mile per hour pitches a month later.

Another teammate of Vecchio’s in 2005 said, “It was the first and last time since I’ve been here that someone had missed curfew.”

Vecchio is still enrolled at UTSA and his tuition is paid for by the Reds organization. Vecchio declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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