Seven high school football coaches have been fired for allegedly forcing a Jewish student to eat pork.
Head football coach Marcus Wattley and several assistant coaches at McKinley Senior High School in Canton, Ohio, were placed on leave last week after they reportedly forced the 17-year-old to eat a pepperoni pizza as punishment.
The coaches forced the player to eat the pork on May 24 after he missed a voluntary workout due to injury, The Canton Repository reported.
On Thursday, Canton City School Board voted unanimously to fire Wattley, along with six assistant coaches, Cade Brodie, Joshua Grimsley, Romero Harris, Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, and Tyler Thatcher.
Board President John Rinaldi said they launched an immediate investigation into the allegations.
'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,' Talbert said.
Head football coach Marcus Wattley (pictured) and six assistant coaches at McKinley Senior High School in Canton, Ohio, have been fired
On Thursday, Canton City School Board voted unanimously to fire Wattley, along with six assistant coaches including Tyler Thatcher (left) and Frank McLeod (right)
Joshua Grimsley (left) and Romero Harris (right) are among the seven coaches fired for the alleged cruel stunt
Cade Brodie (left)and Zachary Sweat (right) were initially suspended last week before losing their jobs
Superintendent Jeff Talbert confirmed: '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.'
Talbert added that they made their decision based on surveillance video of the incident.
A lawyer for the Jewish student and his family said he agreed with the board's decision but that it brought him and his clients no joy.
'We have a number of careers that have been destroyed here. Nobody wins in this,' attorney Ed Gilbert told Canton Rep.
Gilbert said that the incident occurred on May 24, four days after the 17-year-old football player skipped a voluntary workout while nursing a sore shoulder.
He said the player, who does not eat pork as part of his faith, was ordered to sit in the middle of the gym and eat an entire pepperoni pizza.
The student, who was reportedly shouted at by his coaches and teammates as he ate the pizza, was allowed to remove the pepperoni and some of the cheese, but pork residue remained.
The coaches at the high school reportedly forced the 17-year-old to eat a pepperoni pizza as punishment. Pictured: GV of McKinley Senior High School
The coaches all worked for the Canton City School District - who launched an investigation into the allegations last week, that led to the firings
The teenager would have been subjected to additional drills and his status on the team might have been jeopardized if he had not followed Wattley's order, the attorney added.
Gilbert added that the boy was now undergoing counselling.
Talbert announced the suspension of eight coaches last week.
On Thursday, he explained that the eighth suspended coach, assistant coach Badre El Bardawil, had not been fired because evidence 'did not show that he performed in the same manner as the other coaches.'
The video is not being publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations.
Wattley's attorney Peter Pattakos insists the incident was exaggerated and some parts were completely false.
Wattley's (pictured) attorney Peter Pattakos insists the incident was exaggerated and some parts were completely false
He claims the Jewish player could have left at any time and was offered chicken nuggets instead but chose to eat the pizza and remove the pepperoni. Five football players backed Wattley's claims at the school board meeting.
'There was no intent (to cause harm),' Pattakos said. 'He was doing his best to teach an extraordinary athlete an important lesson.'
Wattley believes the allegations were stirred up by an assistant coach who wanted his job. The assistant coach was not named.
But Talbert said that the decision was based on surveillance footage which backed the student's allegations.
Thursday's board action only affects the coaching contracts so the board may decide to take further action against Wattley, Grimsley, McLeod and Sweat who hold other positions within the district, according to Talbert.
Following the allegations, James Pasch, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League's Cleveland office, tweeted: 'For school coaches to reportedly force a student to eat food in violation of his religious beliefs is unacceptable [and] outrageous.'
'This student deserved better; all students deserve better.'
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