NJ baseball player sues coach for telling him to slide

BOUND BROOK — A former Bound Brook High School baseball player will get a fresh chance in court to prove that his coach was reckless in telling him to slide during a junior varsity game.

During the slide, court papers say, Jake Maser's cleats "dug into the dirt and the force of the slide caused him to roll over his right ankle." Maser, a 2016 graduate of Bound Brook High School, required surgery.

What's at the heart of Jake Maser's slide lawsuit

In his lawsuit, Maser alleged that Coach John Suk and the Bound Brook Board of Education "negligently" and "carelessly" supervised the game.

But Suk and the board asked Superior Court Judge Yolanda Ciccone to dismiss the suit because Maser had not proven that the coach had been negligent under a recklessness standard.

When Ciccone dismissed the lawsuit, Maser appealed to the appellate court which, on Wednesday, balked at Ciccone's decision.

The appellate court ruled that Ciccone "never analyzed whether (Maser) presented facts in support of his claim that (Suk's and the board's) conduct was reckless."

The appellate court remanded the case back to Ciccone "to make that analysis." The appellate court said it would "not suggest the outcome" of the case.

That decision gives Ciccone the option to dismiss the case or have it proceed toward trial.

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The backstory

According to court papers, Maser, a freshman, was at bat in the second inning of the game with runners on second and third base. With Bound Brook ahead 6-0, Maser hit a long drive to the gap in left centerfield.

After Maser rounded second, he decided to leg out a triple. Suk, who was coaching third, knew there was going to be a "bang-bang" play at third, because the outfield was throwing the ball to the base, so he instructed Maser to slide.

That's when the injury occurred.

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

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