High school football player Carter Mannon is living out his dream. On Dec. 21, his team won their division’s Texas state championship at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, in front of 26,000 exuberant fans.
Carter is thriving on and off the field, just a year after he was reeling from being targeted for his severe peanut allergy at his former high school.
“I never would have thought things would have turned around for me like they have,” Carter tells Allergic Living. During the title run, the offensive tackle was able to feel confident that his new teammates had his back.
Carter, now 17, transferred to Vandegrift High School in Austin, Texas, in February 2024. The Mannon family moved to change school districts. At his former school, Lake Travis High, they say Carter faced food allergy bullying in an October 6, 2023 incident. This was followed by months of harassment.
The Mannons filed a lawsuit in 2024 against the Lake Travis Independent School District over the incident and harassment.
On that October day, Carter, then 15, opened his football locker, grabbed his cleats and jersey, and peanut kernels spilled out of them. He was shocked to realize peanuts were strewn throughout his locker. Carter broke out in hives from the peanut contact. The lawsuit contends two teammates were behind scattering peanuts in Carter’s locker.
The day before, during a discussion about road trip dinner plans, the two teammates had asked questions like “could peanut kill you?” Carter replied that, “it absolutely could kill me.” The lawsuit says one of the teens videotaped the other putting peanuts in the locker.
After they reported the allergy incident, the Mannons say Carter endured months of backlash at Lake Travis High.
New School ‘Breath of Fresh Air‘
Carter’s mom, Shawna Mannon, recalls feeling that the family had no choice but to move to another district. Looking back, “there was a feeling of desperation. It felt very necessary,” she tells Allergic Living.
The move proved to be “100 percent the right decision,” Mannon says. The school, the Leander Independent School District administrators, the coaches, the football community and the teammates have all been supportive. At Vandegrift High, Carter is enjoying a positive experience.
“His new school and team have been a breath of fresh air,” Mannon says. “This has far exceeded my expectations.”
In addition to the school working with the Mannons to accommodate Carter’s food allergy, the football team has also ensured he is safe. For example, the designated team mom goes above and beyond to make sure that all players, including those with food allergies, have safe meals and snacks.
Knowing his allergy is respected and accommodated allows the 6-foot-4 tackle to concentrate on playing football. “I’m so thankful for this team and the Vandegrift community for being so supportive and being a family to me that I never knew I had,” Carter says.
The student and his teammates were fired up to play the final at the AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas. The Vandegrift Vipers beat Southlake Carroll Dragons 24-17 in the Class 6A, Division II state championship game.
“Playing in the state championship has been a dream I’ve had since I started playing football,” Carter says.
Mannon was filled with pride watching her son compete, backed by a community of supportive families. “It’s truly a team,” she says.
Carter Mannon at Mahomes Gala
It’s been quite a year for Carter. In late October the teen traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, to share a stage with Brittany Mahomes in a room filled with NFL players. He was representing FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) at a gala benefiting Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ foundation.
The food allergy nonprofit has partnered with the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation for the “15 and FARE” initiative. The partnership will provide restaurant training for food allergies. It also encompasses access in Kansas City to healthcare, epinephrine and education for those managing food allergies who face health inequities.
During the gala, Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, the CEO of FARE, presented Brittany with the FARE Champion Award. It is in recognition of the dedication Brittany Mahomes has shown to the food allergy cause.
Carter was among the food allergy youths who helped present the award to Brittany, who’s a food allergy mom. FARE connected with Brittany through OWYN, a brand known for allergy-friendly protein shakes. A fundraising match campaign she and the brand launched raised over $200,000 for FARE last year.
“Going to the Mahomes Gala was such an honor,” Carter says. “Getting to see all that the Mahomes do for the allergy community was really eye-opening for me.”
While Carter did not meet Patrick Mahomes, he did receive a signed football from the three-time Super Bowl MVP.
Shawna Mannon was grateful for the opportunity to see her son present an award on behalf of FARE. She credits the nonprofit for supporting her family through the food allergy harassment and legal battle.
“I feel like things came full circle for him. He was smiling, he was happy,” she says.
Carter Mannon’s Bullying Lawsuit
The Mannons filed a federal civil lawsuit against the Lake Travis school district in April 2024. They are seeking $1.5 million in damages.
The complaint, which focuses on Carter’s disability rights, also names four administrators, including the superintendent, the principal and the head football coach, who is also the athletic director.
The lawsuit says the Lake Travis school district is at fault for failing to adequately address the peanut allergy incident and continued harassment. It also accuses the district of failing to take action to prevent bullying against Carter or to enforce adequate disciplinary measures against the alleged bullies.
The school district disagreed with the points raised in the legal complaint in an April 2024 response, and has filed a motion to dismiss the case.
At its November 20, 2024 board meeting, the district’s board of trustees rejected a settlement offer from the Mannons. The school district has no comment on the board’s decision, according to a district spokesperson.
A court scheduling order required the Mannons to submit a settlement offer in November. The order says the case will go to jury trial on September 22, 2025, if a settlement is not reached before then.
While the Mannons continue to watch their son thrive with his new team, they are determined to seek justice over the peanut allergy incident.
“I’m in it for the long haul. This is our mission to see it through,” Shawna Mannon says.
Related Reading:
Texas Football Peanut Allergy Incident: What Happened
20-Year-Old Dies of Peanut Allergy He Didn’t Know He Had
Food Allergy Bullying: How to Spot and What to Do
