A former standout football player from a California high school has launched a federal lawsuit alleging years of abuse, racial harassment, and retaliation by coaches that he says ultimately derailed his athletic future.
Riley Cochran-Hernandez, who once played at Del Campo High School in Sacramento County, filed the lawsuit against the San Juan Unified School District as well as former head coaches Jeff Remington and Matt Costa. The complaint, filed last week and spanning more than 20 pages, describes what Cochran-Hernandez says was a long-running pattern of mistreatment that created a hostile environment for players.
According to the filing, Cochran-Hernandez and other students were subjected to repeated racial and national-origin harassment. He claims coaches used racial slurs, including the N-word, and even suggested reporting certain students to ICE for bounties. Cochran-Hernandez said the remarks left players confused and disturbed.
“I think they took more than just a future,” Cochran-Hernandez said. “They took a child’s dream. I went through a lot, and I don’t think anyone should have to experience what I did.”
Football had once been central to his life. Cochran-Hernandez said he hoped to continue playing at the college level and even dreamed of joining the University of Michigan’s program.
The lawsuit also accuses the coaching staff of forcing athletes to participate in punishing drills under dangerous conditions. Players were allegedly required to complete intense exercises, including bear crawls, in temperatures sometimes exceeding 100 degrees. The complaint states that access to water was tightly restricted regardless of the weather, leading to injuries and unnecessary physical strain.
Cochran-Hernandez says a serious quadriceps injury became a turning point. He provided coaches with a doctor’s note advising rest, but claims he was pressured to keep practicing instead.
“The coach called me out in front of the entire team, saying he had people taking days off for quad injuries,” Cochran-Hernandez said.
When asked if he felt he had a choice, he said he did not. “Absolutely not. It was either show up to practice or get cut from the team.”
He ultimately received no college scholarship offers and believes his chances of continuing his football career were effectively eliminated. The lawsuit argues that being forced to keep training worsened his injury, leading to lasting complications, including nerve damage.
Cochran-Hernandez says he still deals with the effects today.
“I’ve learned how to walk with my leg being numb,” he said. “But I haven’t learned how to run again. I haven’t run since football.”
The complaint also claims that after Cochran-Hernandez and his father raised concerns with school administrators, the player faced retaliation. He alleges he was removed from the starting lineup, left out of team activities, and eventually kicked off the team entirely. The lawsuit says the alleged treatment occurred between 2021 and 2025.
One moment described in the complaint occurred during an end-of-season awards ceremony. Cochran-Hernandez says he was publicly humiliated.
“I looked at the screen and heard everyone in the room laughing at me,” he said.
His attorney, Karin Sweigart, argues that school officials were aware of the situation but failed to take meaningful action to protect students.
“They were clearly informed about what was happening and didn’t take the steps necessary to protect the students,” Sweigart said. “That’s one of the most troubling aspects of this case.”
The school district previously conducted an internal investigation under its Uniform Complaint Procedure. According to reports, many of the allegations were substantiated, and both coaches were ultimately removed from their positions.
However, the lawsuit claims those actions did not fully address the damage done to Cochran-Hernandez.
He says the experience continues to affect him emotionally as well as physically. Football, once a source of pride and purpose, now reminds him of the environment he says he endured.
“Every day I see football on Instagram or on TV, and it brings me back to that toxic place that used to feel safe to me,” he said.
Through the lawsuit, Cochran-Hernandez says he hopes to hold those responsible accountable and encourage school districts to respond more seriously when students raise concerns.
“The bigger goal is making sure schools take these complaints seriously,” he said. “When things like this happen, it can mess with a lot of people’s lives.”