A New Mexico high school football staff’s effort to instill improved off-field discipline in its team didn’t go exactly as planned this week.

West Mesa High School coach Anthony Ansotigue and his assistants instructed players to do bear crawls from one sideline to the other during a recent practice.

While there was no harm intended, the artificial turf on the field was so hot that multiple players suffered injuries, including burns and severe blisters, according to an EverythingLubbock.com report.

Needless to say, multiple parents voiced complaints and concerns, which resulted in Ansotigue issuing a public apology.

“After about that 3-5 minute mark a player mentioned to me that the ground was hot. I felt the turf myself and it did feel a little hot,”  said Ansotigue, according to EverythingLubbock.com. “Never would I have thought that it was hot enough to cause blistering. I would NEVER do anything to physically harm our players. I think many of our players know that and know how all of the coaches care for them.

“As soon as it was brought to my attention that there were blisters starting to form on some of the boys’ hands, we stopped immediately. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done this if I had known the turf would be hot enough to cause blisters. For that, I feel very remorseful and I take full responsibility for what occurred.”