High School Baseball Player Suing Coach for $150,000 for Benching Him

Does benching equal bullying?

A 17-year-old boy at Los Altos High School, in Los Altos, Calif., is suing his former baseball coach at the school, as well as the school district, claiming the coach benched him during his senior year.

Robbie Lopez is seeking $150,000 in his suit.

He says coach Gabriel Lopez (no relation) sent him to the pine after having been a starter for three years before Gabriel was brought in as coach. Things were so bad, in fact, that Robbie was the only senior who did not play in the school's alumni game.

Robbie's dad believes the whole matter stems from the fact his son did not participate in a charity game.

According to the suit, Gabriel engaged in "harassment and bullying" and "For over four months and 14 games, (Robbie Lopez) has been benched and not the opportunity to show his offensive or defensive capabilities."

Robbie's lawyer feels the coach went out of his way to make life miserable for the teen. "These are repeated actions by the coach, which we feel, my client and I, as well as his father, feel are intentional. They're targeted against (my client) specifically."

What do you think? Does the player have a case or is this a matter of a youngster being soft and not being able to cope when things didn't go his way?