Eating pork violated the player's Hebrew Israelite faith. I love them, they know that, Wattley said. ", In June of last year, former McKinley head coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistant coaches were fired by Canton City Schools following an investigation into misconduct. The lawsuit filed by the Hebrew Israelite players family alleged that on May 24, 2021 the coaches forced him to eat a pepperoni pizza after he missed a voluntary practice session. Pattakos said he believesthe assistant coach wanted Wattleys job. "When Josh was talking in the offensive huddle, you would have thought Coach McD was talking to us. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . The player testified he knew consequences existed for missing off-season workouts, which he said the coaches called mandatory. He emphasized that the player had the ability to leave at any time and had the option of selecting an alternative food that did not contain pork. (Former St. Vincent-St. Mary head coach Dan) Boarman showed me a lot, how to take care of kids and everything that comes with the kid not just the football player but the student, the person and the athlete. Its unclear from the players testimony whether the other coaches heard the player talking about his religion. Video shows McKinley High School player eating pizza during workout. The first NFL game action of the 2022 season will feature the debuts of a couple of head coaches.The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the Jaguars and Raiders will square off in the Hall of . CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - Canton City Schools held a special meeting Thursday evening that addressed a controversy involving seven McKinley High School football coaches and a student-athlete.. He always tried to do the best he could at anything he did. Rose's Tigers beat McDaniels' Bulldogs in an overtime shootout in the 100th game between the old rivals, in 1994. ', "His awareness of defenses really struck me. CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - The whistleblower who alerted school officials about the alleged actions of Canton McKinley High School coaches said he was unfairly . Attorney Ed Gilbert, who is representing the player and his family, called the coaches explanation for their punishment bizarre and a desperate attempt to try to hurt (the players) family. He said no matter what the coaches say, it doesnt excuse them for coercing a player to eat pork against his religious beliefs. Im in disbelief that Im basically accused of harming a kid when Ive done nothing but take care of kids in this community, said McLeod, a 1996 McKinley graduate who was an all-Ohio linebacker for McKinley. Thats why it raises concerns when this young man doesnt text his coaches and explains where he is when they are expecting them to be at a voluntary workout, even though it is voluntary. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said surveillance video gave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendation to dismiss the coaches to the school board. Hall, who also serves as McKinley's athletic director,. The student, now 18, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Akron in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, against the Canton City School District and his former coaches. Canton McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley and seven assistant coaches were suspended last week by the Canton City School District after the 17-year-old reported what happened to him on . Seven high school football coaches have been fired from McKinley Senior High School in Canton, Ohio on Thursday following an incident in which a Jewish student-athlete was forced to eat a . to me "dogging" Wattley because you couldn't stand the fact I said McK football is in a much better place now than two years ago and then had to make your 2nd profile of the day yesterday to pose . Pattakos also states that hes releasing the transcripts in the interest of correcting the record and mitigating the damage caused by the defamatory accusations that have ruined the reputations of former McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley and his former assistant coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, Romero Harris, Cade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher. The player, whom the Repository has agreed to not identify,has been devastated by the situation and continues to undergo psychological counseling, the attorney said. Dude I don't coach at McKinley nor have I ever but I think you feel like you was entitled t to his job smh he was qualified to be the head coach . School board president John "J.R." Rinaldi said Hall will continue to serve as the district's athletic director and will work with the district's administrative team to build his football staff. We have a number of careers that have been destroyed here. Hall was a star offensive tackle on the Bulldogs' 1997 national championship team and later earned All-SEC honors at Kentucky before stints as an assistant coach at GlenOak, McKinley, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The incident made international headlines and has spawned three lawsuits. . … I still have visuals of them yelling at me and stuff to eat it, and I felt like my religion didnt matter to them, and they threw it out the window, and I told them I didnt eat it and they made me feel some type of way.. Canton McKinley High School head football coach Marcus Wattley placed on administrative leave along with seven assistants More Headlines: Canton's history-making fire chief reveals big. Meanwhile,there is still pending litigation in the case the coaches filed against the player, his family, and Canton City Schools. While two of his teammates have signed affidavits that say the coaches offered the player a nonpork option such as McDonalds or chicken, the player testified, I didnt hear nothing about no chicken nuggets.. McKinley went 14-6 in Wattley's two seasons as head coach, with a couple of second-round playoff losses and an 0-2 record against rival Massillon. According to Pattakos and the students, the player had the ability to leave at any time and Wattley had offered the player chicken nuggets instead of the pizza after the player said he didnt eat pork. He has committed to playing football at a Division II university this fall. Im in disbelief that Im basically accused of harming a kid when Ive done nothing but take care of kids in this community, said McLeod, a 1996 McKinley graduate who was an all-Ohio linebacker for McKinley. This was about something much bigger.. McDaniels is a significant donor. Grimsleys message advised Humphrey that he had concerns with how the student was treated. Talbert said counselors will be available for the football players Friday. ", SUBSCRIBE:Get the day's top headlines sent to your inbox each weekday morning with the free 3News to GO! The player said he continued to protest and at one point kicked the box, but the box was brought back to him. The score stayed 12-3. They needed to get through to him some other way. He recounted an encounter with one of the coaches at the mall recently. "I've always thought if he got another shot at a head coaching job, he would flourish. Claim your team to manage the roster, schedule, scores, stats and more. But attorney Peter Pattakos, who was retained by Wattley on Thursday, said Thursday that version of events is exaggerated and parts of it are false. As of Monday, both investigations were ongoing. McKinley football player Mani Powellsaid he wants his coaches back. A high school football coach and six assistant coaches McKinley Senior High School in Canton, Ohio, have been fired after they allegedly forced a player to eat pork against his religious beliefs . Canton McKinley Bulldogs. He described various drills, including the Hallway of Hell workout, that players had to complete when they were absent. The sprints werent working,Pattakos said. More about Hebrew Israelites: Canton family's faith at the center of McKinley High football coach abuse allegations, I miss my boys. I was hoping David Carr would come to the Browns. Pattakos said he believesthe assistant coach, whom he did not name, wanted Wattleys job. Other lawsuits filedEx-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs. The attorney for that Canton McKinley football player made wild accusations of anti-Semitism that caused these coaches to be terminated, lose their jobs and be smeared in the local,. So, they just kept it there and then when I kicked the box, they brought it back to me, so there was nothing I could do, said the player, according to a transcript of a deposition he gave on June 23. Its absolutely, totally ridiculous, Gilbert said. The Canton City Board of Education voted to fire the coaches on June 3, 2021 after surveillance camera video surfaced of the incident. Caserio is general manager of the Houston Texans. Assistant coach Badre ElBardawil, who also had beensuspended on May 26 with the other coaches, remains an assistant coach with McKinley because district officials said the evidence did not show that he performed in the same manner as the other coaches.. The 17-year-old belongs to. Pattakos said those two minutes of video would have shown the player shaking hands and hugging the coaches after the discipline was over. Assistant coachesCade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher, and assistant baseball coach Romero Harris, who hasrelated weight room duties, also were dismissed from the team, but they do not have separate jobs with the Canton City School District. violated the player's constitutional rights, the districts completed internal investigation, interviews with five of the coaches and three players, Hebrew Israelites do consider themselves to be Jewish, was hired as the districts interim head football coach for the upcoming season, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The Ohio Department of Educations professional conduct division also is reviewing whether the coaches should retain their educational and coaching licenses. A native of Canton, Ohio, President McKinley was the last president to have served in the American Civil War and is assassinated in 1901. . With Josh going there now, Carr staying is a done deal.". And I was cussing at them, and they were saying, Oh, then he was like, when did he get so tough?. You can get anywhere . I learned from a great man how to coach football," Wattley told media members during a Monday interview. Following the vote, Talbert rejected Pattakos statement that the districts investigation was rushed, noting the video gave them enough information to determine that the coaches acted inappropriately. 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