Smalls Family Files Wrongful Death Suit

Mount Pleasant native Ja'Quayvin Smalls died in July 2009 after his first football practice at Western Carolina University.

Now his family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the WCU coaching staff. The family alleges the coaching staff acted wrecklessly and seeks monetary damages for the football standout's death, according the Asheville Citizen-Times. 

An autopsy said Smalls died from an enlarged heart, a complication from a sickle-cell trait the family had disclosed to the coaching staff, according to the Post and Courier.

The suit seeks damages of more than $10,000 and alleges the coaching staff should have taken precautions to prevent the death. Smalls' father, Henry, is listed as the plaintiff in the case.

Reportedly, college officials and the Smalls family had been in mediation, working on a settlement, but those talks broke down, the Citizen-Times reported, and the suit was filed in January.

Smalls was a junior when he transferred to Western Carolina from Georgia Military College in Millidgeville, Ga., where he ranked second on the team in tackles and was a two-time Defensive Player of the Game, according to his WCU bio.

At , he recorded 55 tackles, 12 passes defended and eight interceptions as a senior defensive back. He earned All-Lowcountry and All-Region honors in his final high school season. He was named to the 2006 North/South All-Star game.