Mom of former Gig Harbor quarterback sues district over late hit that hospitalized son

This browser does not support the video element.

GIG HARBOR, Wash. — The mother of a former Gig Harbor High School quarterback is taking legal action after a late hit landed her son in the hospital.

It happened during the 2023 ‘Fish Bowl’ cross-town rivalry game against Peninsula High School.

According to a lawsuit filed Monday, the athlete suffered “acute injuries, including a broken jaw and concussion” during the second quarter of the game when he was chasing an interception return and two Peninsula blockers hit him.

The lawsuit names Peninsula School District, Peninsula High School Head Football Coach Ross Filkins, and several players as the defendants.

“The assault was the result of a policy, practice, and custom to incite violence and target opponent quarterbacks that the Peninsula High School and its coach, Ross Filkins, created, enforced, supported, and ratified,” the lawsuit reads.

It goes on to state that one of the players grabbed him “by the jersey, threw him to the ground, and “tomahawked” him in the head after the play concluded with a whistle.

According to the court documents, the athlete “laid helpless on the field for a considerable amount of time—about 30 minutes—until emergency medical personnel arrived and transported him to Tacoma General Hospital.”

The family blames the district for the “significant delay in treatment,” saying despite knowing thousands of fans would be in attendance, it lacked the facilities and personnel to safely host the game and failed to ensure that medical personnel and emergency first responders had unobstructed access to the field.

The 16-page document states that the injuries affected the boy’s performance in school, and his ability to participate in extracurricular activities, and caused him emotional distress and embarrassment.

The district disciplined coaches from both high schools following an investigation into the 2023 ‘Fish Bowl’ incident, issuing letters of reprimand and placing several on leave for an undisclosed amount of time.

KIRO 7 has reached out to the Peninsula School District for comment on the lawsuit and has not yet heard back.