Mother files lawsuit after teenage son drowned in Denver during soccer trip

DENVER (KDVR) — A Colorado mother has filed a lawsuit against a youth football organization and one of its coaches.

At age 13, Darryl Blackmon drowned in a hotel pool while traveling with his team. His mother, Marquita Mays, says the organization failed to protect her son and is now demanding accountability.

For Mays, one of the last images that flashes through her mind is of her son lying in a hospital bed, on a ventilator and in a coma. Darryl spent three days in a Phoenix hospital and died on May 31, 2022.

Now, in 2024, every day is a constant reminder that her youngest son is gone. Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall, the 13-year-old had NFL dreams and hoped to hone his skills by joining a youth soccer club. It was Darryl's first year playing with the 5280 Jr. Buffs football team, and it's now something Mays deeply regrets.

“I made a mistake by even thinking I could be a part of something that was supposed to be great and putting my precious joy in a place that wasn't safe for him,” Mays cried.

A teenager drowned after a football championship

In May 2022, the team traveled to Arizona for a tournament game and celebrated their championship victory at the hotel pool. Mays said she walked across the street to get food for the party and returned ten minutes later to find her son receiving CPR.

James Anderson, Mays' attorney, intervened.

“A 10-minute period passed and Marquita’s son lost his life,” Anderson said. “This is inexcusable. We believe there was negligent supervision, negligent training of the coaches and assistant coaches involved in this situation. They could have taken much stronger measures to protect Marquita’s son.”

Mays is now suing the team for negligent conduct and training. Darryl did not know how to swim and an autopsy report confirmed the teen had drowned.

Mays told FOX31 her son was found fully clothed in about 9 feet of water. The lawsuit says he was underwater for 3 to 7 minutes. It also says the other kids were playing in and around the pool — shoving and dunking — while coaches watched over them.

The complaint alleges the coaching staff held a meeting after Darryl's death, asking parents to “keep their story straight.”

“I’m the only one suffering,” Mays said. “Me, my family, my children. It's as if he never existed.

Claims of false insurance information after teen drowns

Mays is also suing one of the coaches for fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The coach is accused of knowingly providing Mays with false insurance information on behalf of the team.

“Upon further investigation, we were told that this specific certificate, because they are individually and uniquely numbered, was not the Jr. Buffs organization certificate,” Anderson said. “There was evidence that the certificate had been physically altered.”

Anderson said that since the discovery of the alleged altered insurance certificate, the coach has not responded to the legal team, and that has only added to Mays' anguish.

“Your babies’ lives are in danger,” Mays shouted. “When it’s not right and we still think it’s not us, because we don’t want it to be, but you never know.”

FOX31 has not named the coach mentioned in the lawsuit as we are waiting for him to provide information about his attorney. The football organization did not respond to our email request for comment.

Meanwhile, Mays continues to turn his pain into purpose. She led a swimming safety poster campaign in 2022 and is currently working on a foundation in her son's name.