Several coaches for one Ohio high school’s football team were fired after they forced a player who kept kosher to eat pork against his religious beliefs.
The Canton City School District fired head coach Marcus Wattley along with six assistant coaches, the school board announced following a unanimous vote on Thursday. The other coaches who are out of a job are Cade Brodie, Joshua Grimsley, Romero Harris, Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, and Tyler Thatcher.
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“This means that these individuals are no longer coaches with the Canton City School District, and they will not be involved in any Canton City Schools Football activity moving forward,” Superintendent Jeff Talbert said. “The investigation found that the identified coaches engaged in actions that constituted inappropriate, demeaning, and divisive behavior in a misguided attempt to instill discipline in the student-athletes. This behavior will not be tolerated.”
“The Canton City School District holds our coaching and general staff to the highest professional and ethical standards,” he added. “Anything short of these standards is unacceptable and will not be permitted.”
The incident occurred on May 24, when the coaches decided to punish a 17-year-old rising senior on the football team who skipped an earlier weightlifting session, his family’s lawyer Edward Gilbert said, according to CNN. Afterward, the coaches told him to eat an entire pepperoni pizza, even though it violated the dietary aspects of his religious beliefs as a Hebrew Israelite.
The player reminded the coaches of those beliefs and was allowed to take the pepperoni slices and some of the cheese off the pizza, but that didn’t assuage his concerns over pork residue, Gilbert said.
“The Canton Police Department was contacted yesterday by the school system to make a report for the alleged possible hazing incident,” said Police Chief Jack Angelo. “We are currently investigating, and our results will be turned over to the Canton City Prosecutors Office for a determination on any charges.”
School Board President John Rinaldi said the health and safety of the team’s players are the school district’s “priority” and that it “guides all of the District’s actions.”
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The school’s athletic director, Antonio Hall, was named as the football team’s interim head coach.
“I would like to thank the Board of Education and Superintendent Talbert for entrusting me with the guardianship of the McKinley High School Football Team for the 2021 season. I take this responsibility with great humility,” he said. “Our players, families, and community have high expectations. As the interim Head Coach, my role will be to guide the team through this difficult time, continue to build our team unity, and have a successful season. I would like to assure the Canton community that our commitment to these young men has not waivered, and we will move forward in a place of respect and trust.”
