There was no intent (to cause harm), Pattakos said. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. He wasnt forced to eat pork. I'm just glad he has this opportunity. No Bulldogcoachs tenure has spanned more than five years since Thom McDaniels guided the program from 1982-1997. Team Statistics. "As a coach, you can be frustrated watching that. Poll: Head football coach Marcus Wattley, six others dismissed for misconduct. I will defer to Judge Haupt and her able staff to handle. 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. "There's nobody in the business who is going to work harder than Josh. Ex-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Record: 10-0. On 10/28, the McKinley varsity football team won their home playoff game against GlenOak (Canton, OH) by a score of 40-22. He recounted an encounter with one of the coaches at the mall recently. McKinley Senior High School Grades 9-12 2323 17th St NW, Canton, OH 44708. They needed to show him what it was like to be the only man eating in a room full of hungry, working men. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. McKinley started the shortened 2020 COVID season 3-0 before losing three of its final five games. "Black Hebrew Israelites consider themselves Jews; I also consider them to be a Black religionbearing many of the markers of African American spirituality," she said. A few thousand watched the Marietta Pioneers nurse a lead against the visiting John Carroll Blue Streaks. 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. 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. ", SUBSCRIBE:Get the day's top headlines sent to your inbox each weekday morning with the free 3News to GO! And I was cussing at them, and they were saying, Oh, then he was like, when did he get so tough?. Wattley and seven assistant coaches have been suspended by the Canton City School District after one of the players said. He was so far ahead ahead of the curve.". I wasnt taking it, so then he just sat it down right beside me again. He said he began seeing a counselor in June 2021 and has made progress. The Canton City School Board held a special meeting Thursday evening to discuss the incident that occurred . Monica A. Coleman, a theologian and professor of Africana studies at the University of Delaware, said someHebrew Israelites do consider themselves to be Jewish. See below to read the full 10-page ruling from Judge Adams: Copyright 2022 WOIO. Im in disbelief that Im basically accused of harming a kid when Ive done nothing but take care of kids in this community, said McLeod, a 1996 McKinley graduate who was an all-Ohio linebacker for McKinley. He was calling an audible. Theyve run plenty of sprints. A federal judge said there was insufficient evidence to support allegations that the player was forced to eat food against his religion. He said Wednesday evening that the investigation, which was completed June 1, also includedinterviews with five of the coaches and three players. The Canton Repository has agreed to not name the 17-year-old player, who has received interest from Division I colleges. The player testified he knew consequences existed for missing off-season workouts, which he said the coaches called mandatory. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said it was surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation. He recalled two specific instances, including one where a pepperoni pizza was offered, where he says he told the coaches that he didnt eat pork and the coaches gave him an alternative, such as chicken. According to his deposition testimony, the players father first introduced the family to the Hebrew Israelite faith in 2013. 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.. He said he missed some workouts because he was getting paid to do yard work for a coachs friend, a woman at his moms church and his grandfather. 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. CANTON A shortened fall camp and two abbreviated scrimmages left Mentor football coach Matt Gray a little unsure what he had in his 2021 football team heading into the season opener Aug.. A 17-year-old Canton McKinley High School football player is a starting tackle for a big-name football program, but he said he's been left scarred by an incident in which his coaches forced him to eat pepperoni pizza as punishment for missing a practice, despite knowing he doesn't eat pork for religious reasons. 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. But attorney Peter Pattakos, who was retained by Wattley on Thursday, said Thursday that version of events is exaggerated and parts of it are false. 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'll buy you a pizza and we can all watch you eat. The lawsuit also names Canton City Schools as a defendant. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. CANTONMarcus Wattley broke his silence Monday about the discipline of a player that led to the end of his career as McKinley High Schools head football coach. The most important thing for Mr. Wattley at this point is that the truth comes out so that his name is cleared of these ridiculous charges against him, and we will make sure that happens. CANTON, Ohio There are new developments in the scandal that once crippled the Canton McKinley football team. Mike DeWine suffered injury while in East Palestine, Ohio State Fire Marshal: Oakwood factory fire was not the result of a criminal act, Improvements coming to I-480 near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio football coaches allegedly force Hebrew Israelite student to eat pork for missing practice, Canton City Schools fire 7 football coaches accused of forcing a Hebrew Israelite student to eat pork, Whistleblower says he was unfairly fired following Canton McKinley High School pizza-eating incident, Former Canton-McKinley football coaches sue school district leaders, father of athlete at center of pizza scandal, Closed Captioning/Audio Description Problems. It was along those lines, and the kid knew he was being disciplined. 40-22 (W) McKinley vs. GlenOak. 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. 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. Attorney Ed Gilbert, who is representing the 17-year-old football player and his family, said Thursday that he agrees with the school board's decision to dismiss the coaches, but added, There is no joy in seeing this. Editors Note: Below is a previous report by 19 News about the lawsuit. The deposition, where the player testified under oath, was conducted as part of the defamation lawsuit that the coaches filed a year ago against the player, the players father, Kenny Walker, their attorney Edward Gilbert and former assistant coach Josh Grimsley. 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.. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowler in Seattle, last offseason engineered his way to Denver (and to a new . But, he still faces the possibility of. "When Josh was talking in the offensive huddle, you would have thought Coach McD was talking to us. McDaniels is a significant donor. 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. "Josh was a coach on the field. The 17-year-old belongs to. Gilbert says his team, the player, and his family are now determining if they will appeal the dismissal. This was about something much bigger.. 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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. Following a due-process hearing with the Canton City School District June 8, the attorney for Canton McKinley Senior High . 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. It was rushed. Pattakos said Wattley previously had witnessed the eating-alone lesson work effectively in a different Division I locker room. 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. Besides pork, the player said he also abstains from eating seafood because its a bottom feeder, just like a pig.. 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. "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. 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. I dont know what they would have thought, but what was going through my mind at the time was if I would have told them, they would have still had me come to the trainer, but I couldnt do nothing with my shoulder at the time. I said I dont eat pepperoni because I dont want to eat it because the grease is cooked in with the cheese. The player said he continued to protest and at one point kicked the box, but the box was brought back to him. "It's not going to get the coaches their jobs back. The incident made international headlines and has spawned three lawsuits. The students said the playerhas since apologized to them and to the coaches. 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. Nordonia, 11-13 last year, was looking to also avenge a 58-42 loss last year to McKinley as a 19th seed in the . "The Raiders have a lot of the pieces they need to be a great team, starting with the quarterback. Do you support the move? Attorney Pattakos released the following statement on behalf of Marcus Wattley late Thursday night: "We asked the district to postpone their decision for at least one more week to allow for this matter to be fully and fairly investigated, including upon full consideration of the testimony of the numerous Canton McKinley football players who witnessed this event and were at tonight's board meeting wanting to tell anyone who would listen that the story being advanced by the alleged victim's father and attorney is not true. 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. Coaching career. Talbert said counselors will be available for the football players Friday. 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 incident does not reflect the Canton City School District's culture of protecting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students.". This is an extraordinary tactic that is used to teach an extraordinary lesson to an extraordinary young man under extraordinary circumstances.. Gilbert has said the family has agreed to meet with district officials before pursuing a lawsuit. He also said he wasnt missing workouts due to using marijuana as the coaches have suggested. Head coach Joe Mazzulla couldn't hide his . 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. Eating pork violated the player's Hebrew Israelite faith. 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. McLeod on Tuesday said he believes the surveillance video clears the coaches. Hall, who also serves as McKinley's athletic director,. He said thedistricts nearly weeklong investigation found that the coaches on May 24 engaged in actions that were deemed"inappropriate, demeaning and divisive" during a non-mandatory strengthening and conditioning workout in the high schools auxiliary gym. The coaches, who were dismissed from their coaching and school district jobs last year,have maintained that they did not force the player to eat anything, that they did not know about the players religious faith, they had offered him chicken nuggets as an alternative and it was the players decision to pick off the pepperoni and cheese and eat the pizza. Former Browns coach Paul Brown hails from nearby Massillon and, last summer, Canton erected a statue of former Browns running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marion Motley just down the hill from the museum. He blamed the district for conducting a rushed and incomplete investigation, noting that Wattley was interviewed for only 18 minutes and that only three of the 40 players present wereinterviewed. "He's proven he's a hell of a coach," Rose said. "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. Its unclear whether the player told the coaches about the yardwork. One of the state's most successful coaches . You're the king, you're the prince.' "I ran around the corner seeing nothing but open space. If not, then you can leave. Thats the lesson.. Wattley's attorney Peter Pattakostold The Canton Repository on Mondaythat Wattley and the assistant coaches were trying to rescue a troubled player whose off-the-field behavior was negatively influencing his teammates and jeopardizing his future as a Division I college athlete. 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