Rockwall High wrestling coach investigated after student injured

ROCKWALL, Texas – A Rockwall High School wrestler who was injured during a match says his coach may have played a role in the injury.

Coach Josh Brining is now suspended after the teenager's family filed a complaint with the district.

17-year-old junior Gavin Gross will be out for between three and six months after shoulder surgery.

Gross claims that Brining brought in a potential wrestling rookie to face Gross in practice on July 25.

The teenager claims the recruit disregarded proper training etiquette and dislocated his shoulder with a surprise movement.

“It’s standard wrestling etiquette not to hit your partner,” Gross said.

[REPORTER: “In practice?”]

“Yes, in training. Your partner. Your teammate,” Gross replied.

The teenager claims that the coach took the treatment of the injury into his own hands.

“He forced my shoulder back into place without permission,” Gross said. “He told me I was fine and to just get through it, that it was no big deal and that it might hurt a little.”

Gross claims his coach pressured him to compete in a tournament the next day even though his shoulder was not 100 percent healthy.

He says his injury worsened during that game.

“You can see my arm going limp,” Gross said while watching video of the game.

Gross' family says the coach kept pressuring him to quit the tournament, but his parents took him home. Medical records show Gross has a torn labrum and a fractured shoulder. He underwent surgery this week.

“It’s a big obstacle in my path,” he said.

FOX 4 sent a list of questions to Rockwall ISD. The district says Coach Brining is on leave while the district investigates.

There is no criminal investigation, but the district has notified Child Protective Services and law enforcement “out of an abundance of caution.”

Rockwall ISD has informed Gross' family of the coach's suspension. So far, the district has not received any complaints from other students.

This is not the first time that the health of athletes in this district has been at risk.

In 2023, Rockwall-Heath High School football coach John Harrell resigned after several students were hospitalized following intense training sessions that the district admits had a “negative impact on the physical health” of some athletes.

Ultimately, Gross hopes he will come back stronger than before.

“Because God always puts obstacles in our path,” he said. “I will be prepared for them when I come back.”