Updated: 1:20 p.m., Thursday, June 3, 2021. CANTON The former McKinley High School football player who is suing the Canton City School District and his former coaches over alleged civil rights violationssays the coaches likely didnt know about his religious beliefs before the day they forced him to eat a pepperoni pizza as punishment for missing a practice. He later called the special board meeting that resulted in the] group of coaches losing their jobs. I just always told them whenever they bought food and stuff, I told them I dont eat pork and left it at that, he said. It doesnt make any sense.. Religion historianJames Tinney classified Hebrew Israelites intothree basic groups: According to Gospel Coalition,many if not most Hebrew Israelite groupsreject the Trinity and Christ's divinity, two central tenets of traditional Christianity. Talbert said it was the surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation to fire Wattley and his assistants. We wont stop fighting until we get them back., More about McKinley's new head coach: Interim McKinley Bulldogs football coach Antonio Hall will look to 'put our kids first'. On 10/28, the McKinley varsity football team won their home playoff game against GlenOak (Canton, OH) by a score of 40-22. . 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. McKinley Senior High School Grades 9-12 2323 17th St NW, Canton, OH 44708. The Canton City Board of Education voted to fire the coaches on June 3, 2021 after surveillance camera video surfaced of the incident. Here's what we know nowabout the May 24incident along with what's next for the fired coaches and the Canton McKinley football team: Attorney Ed Gilbert, who is representing the player and his family,believesthe school district violated the player's constitutional rights when the coaches punished the playerformissing a May 20voluntarystrengthening and conditioning practice to nurse a slight shoulder injury he received during a priorpractice. McLeod on Tuesday said he believes the surveillance video clears the coaches. He said he began seeing a counselor in June 2021 and has made progress. 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. Other coaches involved have not responded to requests for comment or have declined comment. He didnt provide a reason why. Other football players who were at the May 24 workout have saidthe coaches never forced the playerto eat the pizza and they gave the player the choice of eating chicken nuggets instead. I was hoping David Carr would come to the Browns. After meeting for more than an hour in executive session, the board of education unanimously voted to terminate Wattley's contract, along with the following other coaches: Wattley and the remaining six coaches were originally on administrative leave following an accusation that they forced a student to eat pepperoni pizza after he showed up late to a non-mandatory practice on May 24. More on the McDaniels family: Canton council approves street name change to honor McDaniels football family. newsletter. 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. 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.. Eating pork violated the player's Hebrew Israelite faith. So I just went with it and went to the contest, the player testified. McKinley football player Mani Powell said he wants his coaches back. 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 . What we are most certain of is that this communitys unfortunate loss will be another communitys gain, and that Mr. Wattleys excellent record as a coach, educator, and community servant will continue to speak for itself to anyone interested in the truth.". 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. ", 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. ", SUBSCRIBE:Get the day's top headlines sent to your inbox each weekday morning with the free 3News to GO! I think Carr is really good at it. They needed to show him what it was like to be the only man eating in a room full of hungry, working men. 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 . Several years earlier, Lee Kuberacki had explored transferring to McKinley High School, but he stayed at Canton South partly because the Bulldogs already had a quarterback McDaniels. Canton McKinley High School head football coach Marcus Wattley placed on administrative leave along with seven assistants Canton City Schools' administrative team received a report of an. I will defer to Judge Haupt and her able staff to handle. Nobody is perfect, not even Coach Wattley is perfect and he knows that. More on Canton McKinley football: Canton McKinley Bulldogs 2022 high school football preview. Disciplinary hearings for assistant coaches Joshua Grimsley and Zachary Sweat, both of whom are school resource assistants, are scheduled over the next week. "The football program, which has a long and proud history, is an important part of our school culture and our community," Talbert added in a statement that was read by Board President John M. Rinaldi Thursday. Four young men in this program have been shot in this last calendar year alone, Pattakos said. I knew about Josh then, and I followed him over the years.". When head coaches like Bob Rupert, Dave Cady and Mike Riley were routinely taking Bulldog teams to the Final Four, they benefitted with better talent, better support, and players with better attitudes, which definitely contributed to their success at Canton McKinley. Attorney Michael Kahlenberg, who represents the player and his father in the coaches defamation lawsuit, said he cannot comment on pending litigation. 2 Canton McKinley football players speak out about teammate's punishment: Why they say it was unfair for 7 coaches to lose their jobs The coach was expected to speak with 19 News at . 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.". The lawsuit also names Canton City Schools as a defendant. Black Hebrews, who are more traditional in their practice of Judaism. He said he would have eaten the chicken nuggets. McKinley Football Staff Players (57) Staff (1) Antonio Hall Head Coach Are you the coach? The player, who transferred to another school district last school year, said hes still dealing with anxiety and thinks about the May 24 discipline every day. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said surveillance video gave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendation to dismiss the coaches to the school board. The Canton McKinley grad could be looking at drafting a new quarterback with the No. No. "Thom used to tell me, 'You can play him on defense, but if he gets hurt, you're fired.'. "This report is under investigation, in accordance with our district policies," Canton City Schools told 3News. Team Statistics. Canton McKinley Bulldogs. Few have better insight on McDaniels than current McKinley head coach Antonio Hall. The player testified that he was grounded because his father found a Black & Mild wrapper. "I ran around the corner seeing nothing but open space. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - New developments occurred this week in the pizza scandal involving a former Canton McKinley football player and his coaches. "It was a situation that deserves to be investigated so we're going to investigate it," Talbert told The Repository. The Canton City School Board held a special meeting Thursday evening to discuss the incident that occurred . CNN Seven of eight Ohio high school football coaches who allegedly forced a Hebrew Israelite player to eat a pizza that previously had pork on it, despite knowing his beliefs forbade him. "This young man is one of the most talented members of the team and he's let the team down, not showing up to practices, not communicating with his team, not fulfilling the role of a team leader," attorney Peter Pattakos told 3News. Athletic Director Antonio Hall was hired as the districts interim head football coach for the upcoming season. Grimsleys message advised Humphrey that he had concerns with how the student was treated. Gilbert has said the family has agreed to meet with district officials before pursuing a lawsuit. But, he still faces the possibility of. Canton McKinley sophomore Dante McClellan looks to make a play at Akron East, Wed., Feb. 15, 2023 "We struggled at the rim," Vlkajkovich said. There was no intent (to cause harm), Pattakos said. The player said coach McLeod had been sitting in a chair beside him eating a piece of the pizza. And then there was this crust left, and Coach Brodie ordered me to eat the crust too till it was all gone for the team to be done.. Overall, he was a coach for 40-years and was named to the Ohio high school coaches hall of fame. They said previous methods of discipline had failed to reach the player. "McDaniels was a good possession receiver. Following a due-process hearing with the Canton City School District June 8, the attorney for Canton McKinley Senior High . He said coach Brodie told him to take off the pepperoni. A roughly two-hour disciplinary hearing was held Monday with Canton City school officials about whether Wattley should retain his job as a district academic and athletic liaison. He recounted an encounter with one of the coaches at the mall recently. Motley played at Canton McKinley High School, which is on the Hall of Fame Village's campus. 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. Explore the benefits. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. Key players: P/E Horace Gillom, HB Tommy James, OL Jim Russell. So do my clients.". Record: 10-0. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. Anna players and coaches pose with the Division VI state championship trophy following the team's 48-14 win over New Middletown Springfield on Friday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The coaches had filed the lawsuit in July 2021 after they said their reputations had been damaged by the false accusation that they punished the then-17-year-old football player on May 24,. "I don't think they gave him enough time in Denver. According to his deposition testimony, the players father first introduced the family to the Hebrew Israelite faith in 2013. 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. My job is in the courtroom, not the press room.. 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.. McDaniels previously served as the wide receivers . . Allegations that the court says "lumped all the former coaches together without distinguishing the allegations against each individual. Do you support the move? 2023 www.cantonrep.com. I learned from a great man how to coach football," Wattley told media members during a Monday interview. However, the family in question identifies themselves as Christian. NFL Scouting Combine quick hits:Andrew Berry feels Greg Newsome II is 'going to be a pretty big part' of Browns' future McDaniels, a Canton McKinley High School graduate, was all smiles as he . 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. "(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. Caserio is general manager of the Houston Texans. All rights reserved. Other lawsuits filedEx-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs. Attorney Stephen Griffin, who represents Gilbert in the coaches defamation lawsuit, declined to respond to Pattakos online post. 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. We have a number of careers that have been destroyed here. McKinley football player Mani Powellsaid he wants his coaches back. I wasnt taking it, so then he just sat it down right beside me again. Theyve run plenty of sprints. Six former Canton-McKinley High School football coaches have filed a civil lawsuit alleging district leaders and a player's father and attorney defamed them, damaged their reputations and caused . Its absolutely, totally ridiculous, Gilbert said. The player testified he walked into the Frank Turk Alberta Football Operations Center and went into the weight room. 11, 2021 at 4:07 PM PDT. 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. Further action may be taken on the employment contracts of the four oustedcoaches Wattley, Grimsley,McLeodand Sweat who hold other positions within the district, Talbert said. When Pattakos asked the player why he participated in a rib-eating contest with his teammates in 2019, he recalled that he had asked Wattley whether the ribs were beef or pork but Wattley didnt know. I try to incorporate that with my coaches every day.. ", 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. We begged Canton City School District officials to slow their rushed and flawed investigation to account for the truth but they wouldnt listen. "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," he said when firing the coaches. I don't think that's going to happen now, with Josh there.". Ben McDaniels (born June 6, 1980) is an American football coach who is the Wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). The sprints werent working, Pattakos said. They needed to get through to him some other way. He also said he wasnt missing workouts due to using marijuana as the coaches have suggested. 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