South Bay : Ex-Football Player Sues School District

A former football player who had received interest from several Division I colleges is suing the Torrance Unified School District, charging that a career-ending knee injury was caused by the district’s lackadaisical maintenance of its athletic fields.

Gerardo “Danny” Torres damaged several knee ligaments when he stepped in a pothole on the North Torrance High School athletic field during an off-season physical education class for athletes, according to the lawsuit filed last week. Torres was a junior at the time and was unable to play football during his senior year.

The lawsuit, filed in Torrance Superior Court, says the district was negligent for not keeping the fields in better condition. Torres’ attorney, Robert Moss, said the lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of money for damage caused to his client, who had received encouraging letters to play football at such schools as the University of Washington, UC Berkeley and UCLA, among others. Moss said Torres never heard from the respective colleges after the injury. Moss said the scholarships were the only way Torres, an offensive lineman, was going to be able to afford to attend a four-year college. Torres, who is 19, attends El Camino College and helps coach the wrestling team. Moss said Torres went out for football team but was not cleared by doctors to play.

Torrance school district officials could not be reached for comment.