', "His awareness of defenses really struck me. The sprints werent working, Pattakos said. No Bulldogcoachs tenure has spanned more than five years since Thom McDaniels guided the program from 1982-1997. Pattakos said the punishment was not merely for missing a single voluntary workout. The attorney alsoblamesthe Canton City School District for conducting a rushed and incomplete investigation, an accusation the district denies. The Bulldogs went 9-3 in Wattleys first year, winning a Federal League championship. Hall was a school kid when he watched McDaniels' 1992-94 run as a McKinley quarterback; then he was a lineman on McKinley teams that won state titles in 1997 and '98, with Josh's dad, Thom, as head coach, and Josh's brother, Ben, at quarterback. My job is in the courtroom, not the press room.. Tournament Game. Add the football angle of Massillon-Hoban and this is a can't miss. He was calling an audible. 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 . newsletter. But, he still faces the possibility of. "It was a situation that deserves to be investigated so we're going to investigate it," Talbert told The Repository. Solon defeated Canton McKinley 61-40 in the opener and then Midview followed suit with a 70-45 win over Archbishop Hoban.. Solon and Midview will meet up at Medina High School on Saturday, March 4th at 7 p.m. in the regional final with a spot in the . Grimsleys message advised Humphrey that he had concerns with how the student was treated. Its unclear from the players testimony whether the other coaches heard the player talking about his religion. The district has sent its investigation to the Ohio Department of Education's professional conduct division andthe Canton City Police Department for review. The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. McKinley went 14-6 in Wattleys two seasons as head coach, with a couple of second-round playoff losses and an 0-2 record against rival Massillon. Earlier this month, Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert released a video statement to, "set the record straight" about the recent firing of seven McKinley High School football coaches. His defense is all over the place. "The Raiders have a lot of the pieces they need to be a great team, starting with the quarterback. 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 says in the Bible that its unclean if you touch it, said the player who said his family attends the Gathering of Christ Church in Cleveland. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. 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. 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,. Following the hearings, the superintendent is expected to make a recommendation to the Canton City school board regarding their employment outside of their coaching positions, according to Canton City Schools spokeswoman Lisa Reicosky. More about Hebrew Israelites: Canton family's faith at the center of McKinley High football coach abuse allegations, I miss my boys. Gilbert said the player told the coach at least 10 times that he did not eat pork because he and his family are Hebrew Israelites, a faith thatstrictly forbids the consumption of pork or pork residue. Game Summary. 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.. Nobody wins in this.. ", SUBSCRIBE:Get the day's top headlines sent to your inbox each weekday morning with the free 3News to GO! According to the district, the coaches knew the teen was a member of the Hebrew Israelite faith, and that consuming pork was in violation of his religion's practices. As we approach trial, any attempt to taint a jury pool is truly not a practice I would ever engage. Do you support the move, Interim McKinley Bulldogs football coach Antonio Hall will look to 'put our kids first', Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. More on Canton McKinley football: Canton McKinley Bulldogs 2022 high school football preview. 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. I miss my boys. Allegations that the court says "lumped all the former coaches together without distinguishing the allegations against each individual. This young man wasnt forced to eat anything, Pattakos said. The others mentioned above stayed in football. Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert hasn't released details of what happened on May 24. Last offseason, former McKinley star Harold Fannin signed with . I try to incorporate that with my coaches every day.. "I don't think they gave him enough time in Denver. June 2, 2021 A high school football coach in Canton, Ohio, and seven assistant coaches have been suspended after punishing a 17-year-old for missing a voluntary practice by forcing him to. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the University of Michigan and also previously serving as the interim wide receivers coach in late 2018. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. "As a coach, you can be frustrated watching that. ', 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. 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. According to Gilbert,Wattley on May 24 ordered the player to sit in a chair in the middle of the gym and consume an entire pepperoni pizza while his teammates andcoaches yelled at him. I don't think that's going to happen now, with Josh there.". Invite the coach You want special treatment? The Canton City school board on Thursday voted unanimously to not renew the coaching contracts of Wattley,assistant coaches Cade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher, and assistant baseball coach Romero Harris, who hasrelated weight room duties. A football player's family has accused Wattley and his assistant coaches offorcing the player to consume an entire pepperoni pizza against his Hebrew Israelite religious beliefs as punishment for missing a voluntary May 20 strengthening and conditioning workout. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . 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 . Pattakos blamed an assistant coach, whom he did not name, for inflaming the situation by reporting an exaggerated version to administrators and the players family. They said previous methods of discipline had failed to reach the player. 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. 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. Canton Former Canton McKinley football coaches dismissed from federal lawsuit alleging they forced player to eat pizza A federal judge said there was insufficient evidence to support. But it wasnt until roughly five years later when the player, then in eighth grade, started to strictly follow the faiths dietary restrictions. "Look at how many times (Mayfield) has had the opportunity and hasn't won those games," Rose said. Canton McKinley pizza scandal: Judge dismisses former football coaches from lawsuit. Pattakos wrote the evidence collected during the discovery phase of the lawsuit revealed information that wasn't known when the lawsuit was filed in July 2021, including the admission by the player that didnt explicitly tell the coaches about his Hebrew Israelite beliefs and that a surveillance video the district used as the basis of its internal investigation was missing a two-minute span of time. Repository sports writer Josh Weir contributed to this article. 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 . "I ran around the corner seeing nothing but open space. I said I dont eat pepperoni because I dont want to eat it because the grease is cooked in with the cheese. From 2004 to 2011, Reardon served as head coach at Youngstown Ursuline. Ziegler is the new general manager in Las Vegas; McDaniels is the Raiders' new head coach. The player testified that he was grounded because his father found a Black & Mild wrapper. "There's nobody in the business who is going to work harder than Josh. 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 . As for the coaches who had other jobs within the district, there will be upcoming meetings to determine their futures in that capacity. The Canton City Board of Education voted to fire the coaches on June 3, 2021 after surveillance camera video surfaced of the incident. Kuberacki went on to a fascinating Air Force career that is its own story. He said hes asked God for forgiveness for eating the pork residue. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. I was hoping David Carr would come to the Browns. John Carroll quarterback Nick Caserio ended the third quarter with two completions to receiver Dave Ziegler, then opened the fourth quarter with a 12-yard strike to McDaniels. 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. 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. All rights reserved. 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 . CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - During a special meeting of the Canton City School Board on Thursday evening, the board voted unanimously to terminate the day jobs of three former assistant football. They lose sleep over me and the boys.. In the meantime, district leadership, including Superintendent Jeff Talbert and every board member who approved this decision, should be ashamed, not least for making such a momentous decision based on such an obviously faulty and rushed investigation. I think Carr is really good at it. He's only saidthe districts completed internal investigation has found that the coaches "engaged in actions that constituted inappropriate, demeaning and divisive behavior in a misguided attempt to instill discipline in the student-athletes.". 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. 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. "Josh took after his dad in every aspect," said Kinta Mitchell, a co-captain with McDaniels on the '94 team. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said it was surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation. The former Canton McKinley football coaches who have been waiting for more than a year for a chance to clear their names in court have decided to wait a while longer. Eating pork violated the player's Hebrew Israelite faith. McDaniels kicked in addition to playing quarterback at McKinley when Miller coached the Bulldogs' defensive backs. It was probably going to be a touchdown to ice it. Powell said Wattley and all of the assistant coaches have becomefather figures to him and his teammates. The player said he continued to protest and at one point kicked the box, but the box was brought back to him. "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. 2022 OHSAA High School Football Playoff Brackets (Ohio) Region 1. 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.. This is not something that he made up, Pattakos said. 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. 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At the next days workout, the player said coach Harris told him that he was going to have to apologize to the team and he agreed to do so. He said he began seeing a counselor in June 2021 and has made progress. I learned from a great man how to coach football," Wattley told media members during a Monday interview. Other lawsuits filedEx-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs. In a separate vote Thursday, the five-member board unanimously hired Athletic Director Antonio Hall as the districts interim head football coach for the upcoming season. Talbert said surveillance videogave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendations to the board. "We were ahead, with the ball," recalls Kuberacki, 44. The player blames his former coaches for describing him as a troubled kid in the media asthe reason his offers to play Division Ifootball fell through. 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. On a sunny September Saturday in 1997, secrets of the future whispered like ripples as Josh McDaniels played a college football game on the Ohio River. The lawsuit also had been filed against Canton City school leaders but they were dismissed from the case in January. CANTON, Ohio (WJW)- The family of a McKinley High School football player is calling for more action after it says the head coach forced the teen to eat a pizza. They said the player chose to take off the pepperoni and eat it. The district has declined to provide details of what happened on May 24. Updated: 1:20 p.m., Thursday, June 3, 2021. And then we walk out into the auxiliary gym and theres a pizza in the chair, and I think coach I think Coach Brodie handed me the pizza and I set it down. New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels watches from the sidelines during a game against the Dolphins, Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. On a. His father, during his own separate deposition testimony, said he had found the tobaccowrapperin his son's pants pockets and that he had told one of thecoaches that his son was grounded for smoking. The father acknowledged that he never explicitly said whether the smoking referred to a cigaror marijuana. Return for updates. Canton McKinley High School Head Football Coach Marcus Wattley and five assistant coaches are suing Canton City school officials and others for spreading "false, malicious and extremely defamatory statements" that cost them their jobs and their reputations. Talbert said counselors will be available for the football players Friday. 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