The Ohio Department of Educations professional conduct division also is reviewing whether the coaches should retain their educational and coaching licenses. He was offered chicken (nuggets) and (told), You can sit here and eat. "When Josh was talking in the offensive huddle, you would have thought Coach McD was talking to us. An investigation found the seven staff members made a player eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs. All rights reserved. You did not serve the community.. CANTONWhat Canton City school officials called a misguided attempt to instill discipline has led to the firingof McKinley High School head football coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistant coaches. He always tried to do the best he could at anything he did. While the roughly 12-minute video doesn't have audio, McLeodsaid you can tell by the body language of the coaches and players that the player wasn't being threatened. 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,. I try to incorporate that with my coaches every day.. The story was first reported by The Repository on Wednesday as Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Talbert announced that the district had begun investigating a complaint made against the coaches, including McKinley Head Coach Marcus Wattley. I love them, they know that, Wattley said. He has been Canton's AD for less than a year. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . It doesnt make any sense.. Feb 9. Gilbert has said the player was told that if he didn't eat the pizza, that his teammates would be forced to perform additional drills and that the player's status with the team was in question. The player said he felt badabout eating the ribs after seeing news reports in 2021 that the ribs had been pork. Seven high school football coaches in Canton, Ohio, have been let go after they allegedly forced a 17-year-old player, who is a Hebrew Israelite and cannot consume pork, to eat a pepperoni pizza . 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. CANTON, Ohio Eight coaches from the Canton McKinley High School football team have been placed on administrative leave, including head coach Marcus Wattley. With Josh going there now, Carr staying is a done deal.". 13 Canton McKinley (11-12) at No. 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 . Key players: P/E Horace Gillom, HB Tommy James, OL Jim Russell. The school board on Thursday voted to fireWattley and six of his assistant coaches after the districts completed investigation found that the coaches on May 24 acted in a demeaning and divisive manner in what school officials have called a misguided attempt to instill discipline in the student athletes.. 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. There's nobody more tenacious. Pattakos, who said the player apologized to the coaches and showed up for the voluntary workout the next day after his punishment, blames anassistant coach for inflaming the situation by reporting an exaggerated version to administrators and the players family. Rose prefers Carr to Baker Mayfield based on pulling out wins in fourth quarters. Many religious traditions, including smaller traditions that are not well-known to a wider Western public,have food prohibitions and it would be a considerable religiousviolation to force someone to eat something that is considered a religious taboo.". Video that shows the events that led to 7 McKinley High School coaches being removed. "While on administrative leave, you are not to be on school property or to have any form of communication or contact with any Canton City School District student(s), parents, or staff member without expressed permission from this office," Canton City Schools Human Resource Director Deidre K. Stokes Davis wrote to Wattley. He said he began seeing a counselor in June 2021 and has made progress. The truth about the Canton school board's indefensible decision to fire McKinley football coach Marcus Wattley and his staff over false accusations that they forced a player to eat pork against his religion "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes." The decision left the player, the players father, Kenny Walker, attorney Edward Gilbert, and former assistant football coach Josh Grimsley as defendants. After I got off the phone call, I thought to myself, like I cant like what they did to me was just too far extreme disrespect, so I just left it there.. CANTON - The former McKinley High School football player who is suing the Canton City School District and his former coaches over alleged civil rights violations says the coaches likely. By The Associated Press. Bulldogs logo for the Canton City School District in Ohio. While the roughly 12-minute video doesn't have audio, McLeodsaid you can tell by the body language of the coaches and players that the player wasn't being threatened. Video showed the moments the player claims the coaches forced him to eat a pork-based pepperoni pizza after showing up later to a non-mandatory practice. I knew about Josh then, and I followed him over the years.". "McDaniels was a good possession receiver. Rose's Tigers beat McDaniels' Bulldogs in an overtime shootout in the 100th game between the old rivals, in 1994. This is not something that he made up, Pattakos said. The player testified that he was grounded because his father found a Black & Mild wrapper. The Canton City Board of Education voted to fire the coaches on June 3, 2021 after surveillance camera video surfaced of the incident. All rights reserved. … 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.. 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. They lose sleep over me and the boys.. In the trial that was to start Monday, Stark County Common Pleas Judge Natalie Haupt had dismissed Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert and board members John J.R. Rinaldi, Scott Russ, Kim Brown, David Kaminski and Eric Resnick from the case. Updated: 1:20 p.m., Thursday, June 3, 2021. And then … they start telling everyone to get around the gym with the 45-pound plates, and then they start saying if I dont eat it, then the team will have to keep doing the punishment until its all gone. The district has sent its investigation to the Ohio Department of Education's professional conduct division andthe Canton City Police Department for review. McKinley won a rematch in the playoffs two weeks later. Wattley, who was hired as McKinley's coach in 2019, said he misses his players. Ziegler is the new general manager in Las Vegas; McDaniels is the Raiders' new head coach. That's why he is going to be successful in Vegas. "What is on that video shows that what happened on May 24 is an ill-mannered attempt to instill accountability and discipline in our students," Talbert said. CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - The whistleblower who alerted school officials about the alleged actions of Canton McKinley High School coaches said he was unfairly . He said hes asked God for forgiveness for eating the pork residue. The district has declined to provide details of what happened on May 24. Antonio Hall was named head coach of the McKinley High School football team on Monday. . Gilbert has said the family has agreed to meet with district officials before pursuing a lawsuit. If he refused to eat the pizza,the playerwas told that his teammates would be forced to perform additional drills and "there was a question of whether he would be able to stay on the team," Gilbert said. The player said in his rush to eat the pizza so his teammates could stop the workout sooner, he believes he left some cheese on the pizza. CANTON, Ohio The Canton City School District has fired head high school football coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistants following an investigation into misconduct against a player. This is an extraordinary tactic that is used to teach an extraordinary lesson to an extraordinary young man under extraordinary circumstances.. Before a playing run in the Canadian Football League, Hall spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, whose head coach was Tony Dungy. They needed to get through to him some other way. You're the king, you're the prince.' We feel the coaches knew what they did and the judge wanted us to be specific. District officials have said the surveillance cameras only record when it detects movement as a way to save memory and believe the camera didn't detect movement during the two-minute gap. 11, 2021 at 4:07 PM PDT. A federal judge in U.S. District Court dismissed seven former football coaches from a lawsuit filed by a former football player and his family, citing insufficient evidence to support allegations that the player was forced to eat food against his religion. The Pattakos Law Firm, which represents the former coaches, released a statement after the ruling that said, in part: From the moment these absurd and sensational accusations first went public there were numerous eyewitnesses, including the alleged victims teammates, who were jumping out of their shoes to confirm that the accusations were false. And then I realize it is pepperoni pizza, so I start saying I dont eat pork and I dont want to eat it at least 10 times.. CANTON, Ohio The head football coach at an Ohio high school and six other coaches there have been ousted after a football player said he was . Attorney Peter Pattakos, the lead attorney representing six of the former McKinley football coaches in two of the lawsuits related to the pizza-eating incident, on Thursday released a 298-page transcript of the players roughlyseven-hour testimony that was taken as part of a court deposition. Pattakos asked Judge Haupt to reinstate the district leaders as defendants in the lawsuit, but she denied the request Wednesday, in part because the trial was to start Monday. Attorney Peter Pattakos, who is representing former McKinley head coach Marcus Wattley and former assistant coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, Romero Harris, Cade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher, notified the Stark County judge Wednesday that he was voluntarily dismissing the defamation lawsuit the coaches filed against Canton City School District leaders, a former assistant coach, a former McKinley player and the players father and attorney. ', Greece's worst-ever rail crash kills dozens, crushes cars, Dust storm turns skies across Texas orange causing low visibility conditions for drivers, What to know about OHSAA district wrestling: Area wrestlers heading to four sites. He said he would have eaten the chicken nuggets. Return for updates. London Fletcher ran up and dove and hit the back of my ankle. He said he has lost respect for the McKinley coaches he once admired. The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. He is McKinley's fifth head coach in 10 seasons. The sprints werent working, Pattakos said. Wattleyallowed the player to pick off the pepperoni butpork residue remained, the attorney said. "It was a situation that deserves to be investigated so we're going to investigate it," Talbert told The Repository. Note: This video has been altered to protect kids' identities. ", More Stark County sports from Steve Doerschuk: 'I know where to go and pour them': Fate of 40-year-old Hudepohl six-packs rides on Bengals winning AFC title, Super Bowl. Jack Rose, who coached against McDaniels at Massillon in the '90s, is betting on him now. The Rev. In an email to 3News, Canton City Schools says its administrative team received a report of an incident that took place on Monday, May 24, during McKinley footballs strength and conditioning practice. We will continue to make every reasonable effort to ensure that justice is served in this case.. 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 . Black Jews, who maintain a Christological perspective and adopt Jewish rituals. And then they started telling everyone to grab 45-pound plates, but as I reached to go grab one, Coach Watt says, Not you, youre chilling, the player said. 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. Talbert, a former head football coach, said surveillance video of the high school's auxiliary gym gave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendations to dismiss the coaches for behavior that fell short of the district's professional and ethical standards. Thats the lesson that needed to get through to him.. ", Attorney Michael J. Kahlenberg, who is representing the player and Walker, said the voluntary dismissal of a civil lawsuit is common, but, "Our pool of potential jurors deserves better. According to his deposition testimony, the players father first introduced the family to the Hebrew Israelite faith in 2013. More on the McDaniels family: Canton council approves street name change to honor McDaniels football family. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Its not like they put their hands on me, but they forced me to eat it, he said. "Josh knew how to play defensive back," Miller said. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. Fletcher played 256 NFL games, third all-time among linebackers behind Junior Seau (268) and Clay Matthews (278). There was no intent (to cause harm), Pattakos said. McKinley's Harold Fannin Jr. runs after a catch against GlenOak at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. The player said McLeod didnt react and continued to eat the pizza next to him. A district investigation found the charges against the coaches to be true, and Superintendent Jeff Talbert called their actions "inappropriate, demeaning, and divisive." Head coach: Paul Brown. It was probably going to be a touchdown to ice it. Josh Grimsley, Wattleys former defensive line coach who also works as a school resource assistant for the Canton City School District, was so bothered by the punishment that he sent a text message to his supervisor, Safety and Security Director Steve Humphrey, shortly after the May 24 workout ended. 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