On Thursday, a former Del Campo High student-athlete took his grievances to federal court, filing a civil-rights lawsuit that accuses his coaches of years of racial abuse, retaliation and reckless training that he says shattered his dream of playing college football. Riley Cochran-Hernandez alleges that two Del Campo coaches pressured him to keep practicing after he tore his quadriceps, hurled racial slurs and made immigration-related threats, leading to nerve damage that he says ended his running career.
According to the complaint, Coaches Jeffry Remington and Matt Costa repeatedly used racial slurs, made discriminatory immigration-related remarks and imposed conditioning drills that ignored medical instructions. The filing says Cochran-Hernandez reported the behavior to school administrators, only to be mocked when he later received a team award labeled "most drama." A district Uniform Complaint Procedure investigation, the lawsuit notes, ultimately sustained the majority of his allegations.
Cochran-Hernandez, now a senior at Del Campo, told KCRA he tore his quadriceps during practice, gave his coaches a doctor’s note directing him to rest, and was then criticized in front of teammates and pressured to continue practicing. He says the decision left his leg numb and unable to function well enough for him to keep running. His attorney told KCRA that school officials were "expressly made aware" of the conduct and failed to protect students, and the complaint alleges Cochran-Hernandez faced retaliation after he spoke up.
Local context
The lawsuit lands in a community that has already been on edge about race and safety in local high school sports. In 2022, racial slurs were discovered written on a visiting football team’s locker-room whiteboard after a road game, an incident that CBS Sacramento and other outlets reported at the time. That episode fueled broader concerns among families and students about how racist conduct is handled on and around school athletics programs.
What the suit says and the legal claims
As laid out in the complaint, Cochran-Hernandez is bringing federal claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for alleged Equal Protection violations and invoking Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The suit also asserts state-law claims, including negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and a claim under California Education Code § 220. It seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento. The filing further alleges that while the district’s internal investigation acknowledged misconduct, it did not provide Cochran-Hernandez with any meaningful relief.
What happens next
The case, filed in Sacramento’s federal court, is in its early stages and will now move into the usual rounds of motions and discovery, where both sides exchange evidence and take depositions. San Juan Unified told KCRA it could not comment on pending litigation but said that creating and maintaining safe learning environments is a top priority for the district. Officials also said the staff members named in the lawsuit have been removed from their coaching roles. Cochran-Hernandez’s attorney says the goal is not only to secure accountability for his client, but also to push for changes that would prevent other student-athletes from facing similar treatment.
