Judge won't overturn verdict in UCF player's death
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A judge has refused University of Central Florida's athletic association's request to overturn a $10 million verdict awarded to the parents of a football player who died during a preseason practice.
Circuit Judge Robert Evans' denial Tuesday comes more than a month after a jury found that the association was negligent in 19-year-old Ereck Plancher's 2008 death.
The Orlando judge also determined that Plancher's parents are eligible to have their legal fees paid for by the association.
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The family lawyer contended coaches pushed Plancher too much despite knowing about a sickle cell trait that they never told him about. A medical examiner determined his death was caused by the trait.
It causes blood cells to become misshapen and disrupt the body's vascular system when under extreme stress.