See below to read the full 10-page ruling from Judge Adams: Copyright 2022 WOIO. That set up a touchdown. 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.. Dominique Sanders' squad had something to itself and 13th-seeded Canton McKinley. ', "His awareness of defenses really struck me. I love them, they know that. 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 . "Looking back," Hall said, "Cleveland wasn't the right time or the right place. The player also pushed back on the coaches statements that they were trying to rescue a troubled player and that he had been grounded by his father for smoking marijuana. 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 said Wednesday evening that the investigation, which was completed June 1, also includedinterviews with five of the coaches and three players. McLeod on Tuesday said he believes the surveillance video clears the coaches. Video showed the moments the player claims the coaches forced him to eat a pork-based pepperoni pizza after showing up later to a non-mandatory practice. You're the king, you're the prince.' 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. Canton McKinley High School Head Football Coach Marcus Wattley and six assistant coaches have been fired after trying to force a player to eat pork against his religious beliefs. It was just hurting to lift it in the air., When a coach sent him a text message asking him about his absence, the player responded that Ill owe you Monday.. FEB 24 WILSON BOMBSHELL And now we know more about why so many people dislike Russell Wilson. 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. 3. 40-22 (W) McKinley vs. GlenOak. The lawsuit also had been filed against Canton City school leaders but they were dismissed from the case in January. Rose's Tigers beat McDaniels' Bulldogs in an overtime shootout in the 100th game between the old rivals, in 1994. 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 . I just dont understand why after I said I dont eat pork, they didnt take it (the pepperoni pizza) away. The others mentioned above stayed in football. Feb 9. They have said the player chose to pick the pepperoni off the pizza and eat it. Calling Wattley a "rising star,"Pattakos said Wattley is heartbroken to be away from his team but he believes he did nothing wrong. A federal judge said there was insufficient evidence to support allegations that the player was forced to eat food against his religion. 2023 www.cantonrep.com. And he believes they should have stopped the punishment when he said that day that it violated his religion. He described various drills, including the Hallway of Hell workout, that players had to complete when they were absent. Seven high school football coaches in Canton, Ohio, have been let go after they allegedly forced a 17-year-old player, who is a Hebrew Israelite and cannot consume pork, to eat a pepperoni pizza . Hall was a star offensive tackle on the Bulldogs' 1997 national championship team and later earned All-SEC honors at Kentucky before stints as an assistant coach at GlenOak, McKinley, and St. Thomas Aquinas. On 10/28, the McKinley varsity football team won their home playoff game against GlenOak (Canton, OH) by a score of 40-22. I'm just glad he has this opportunity. The lawsuit filed by the Hebrew Israelite players family alleged that on May 24, 2021 the coaches forced him to eat a pepperoni pizza after he missed a voluntary practice session. Theyve run plenty of sprints. A federal judge filed an order Thursday to dismiss the seven former football coaches from a lawsuit claiming they forced the player to eat pork against his religion. "This report is under investigation, in accordance with our district policies," Canton City Schools told 3News. He always pushes the envelope forward. He disputed Pattakos' statement that Wattley had offered the player chicken nuggets or any alternative food. Canton McKinley pizza scandal: Judge dismisses former football coaches from lawsuit. The truth about the Canton school board's indefensible decision to fire McKinley football coach Marcus Wattley and his staff over false accusations that they forced a player to eat pork against his religion "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes." Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . Tournament Game. 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. On May 24, 2021, head football coach Marcus Wattley allegedly forced an unnamed 17-year-old football team member to eat a pizza made with pork, although the student's religious beliefs prohibited him . 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. I knew about Josh then, and I followed him over the years.". 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 . Its absolutely, totally ridiculous, Gilbert said. Claim this team Ways you can help Make an impact on this team, and help keep MaxPreps up-to-date. The first NFL game action of the 2022 season will feature the debuts of a couple of head coaches.The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the Jaguars and Raiders will square off in the Hall of . Pattakos said he believesthe assistant coach wanted Wattleys job. The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. "It was a situation that deserves to be investigated so we're going to investigate it," Talbert told The Repository. The player said coach McLeod had been sitting in a chair beside him eating a piece of the pizza. The Ohio Department of Educations professional conduct division also is reviewing whether the coaches should retain their educational and coaching licenses. Talbert said it was the surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation to fire Wattley and his assistants. ", 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. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. He said he would have eaten the chicken nuggets. Learning what he learned from his first time, applying all the knowledge he's gained since then, it's just the perfect equation for success.". 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.. 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. 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. Do you support the move? So I just went with it and went to the contest, the player testified. According to his deposition testimony, the players father first introduced the family to the Hebrew Israelite faith in 2013. I love them, they know that, Wattley said. Sure, I would have loved it if he had been head coach of the Browns, but I'm glad he has this opportunity. 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. Former McKinley football coaches dismiss defamation lawsuit, intend to refile Kelli Weir The Repository 0:00 0:57 The former Canton McKinley football coaches who have been waiting for. With the same vote, the board also deemed assistant football coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat and Josh Grimsley as ineligible for future coaching positions. 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. This wasnt about that (a single missed workout). "When Josh was talking in the offensive huddle, you would have thought Coach McD was talking to us. And I was cussing at them, and they were saying, Oh, then he was like, when did he get so tough?. 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. Wattley and his staff deserved better than this, and more importantly, so did the young men in that locker room and the whole Canton McKinley community. Wattley, through his attorney Peter Pattakos, saidthe accusations that thecoaches forced a 17-year-old player to eat an entire pepperoni pizza against his Hebrew Israelite religious beliefs for missing a voluntary May 20 strengthening and conditioning workoutarefalse and exaggerated. The player testified he knew consequences existed for missing off-season workouts, which he said the coaches called mandatory. 2022 Canton McKinley Football (6-6) Coach: Antonio Hall. It was probably going to be a touchdown to ice it. 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.. 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,. 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. The district has sent its investigation to the Ohio Department of Education's professional conduct division andthe Canton City Police Department for review. Attorney Peter Pattakos, who is representing former McKinley head coach Marcus Wattley and former assistant coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, Romero Harris, Cade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher, notified the Stark County judge Wednesday that he was voluntarily dismissing the defamation lawsuit the coaches filed against Canton City School District leaders, a former assistant coach, a former McKinley player and the players father and attorney. Every day . Dan Reardon has been named Canton McKinley High School's new head football coach. 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. (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. You can get anywhere . Pattakos said he believesthe assistant coach, whom he did not name, wanted Wattleys job. As for the coaches who had other jobs within the district, there will be upcoming meetings to determine their futures in that capacity. Yet, he admits he didnt notify coaches on May 20, 2021, that he wouldnt be at practice that day because he wanted to rest an injured shoulder. 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 . ", 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. Gilbert has said the player was told that if he didn't eat the pizza, that his teammates would be forced to perform additional drills and that the player's status with the team was in question. Are you hungry? 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. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. 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. McDaniels is a significant donor. The coach was trying to teach a lesson.". Grimsleys message advised Humphrey that he had concerns with how the student was treated. Caserio is general manager of the Houston Texans. 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. McKinley won a rematch in the playoffs two weeks later. The attorney alsoblamesthe Canton City School District for conducting a rushed and incomplete investigation, an accusation the district denies. Allegations that the court says "lumped all the former coaches together without distinguishing the allegations against each individual. He was one of several football players who attended the disciplinary hearing Monday to show their support for Wattley and McLeod. This is not something that he made up, Pattakos said. 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.. Gilbert said the family has delayed filing its lawsuit because the district has asked to mediate the dispute out of court. Example video title will go here for this video. McKinley Football Staff Players (57) Staff (1) Antonio Hall Head Coach Are you the coach? Their complex narrative is being analyzed around the country. All rights reserved. The Rev. The students said the playerhas since apologized to them and to the coaches. I try to incorporate that with my coaches every day.. Ziegler is the new general manager in Las Vegas; McDaniels is the Raiders' new head coach. Other lawsuits filedEx-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs. 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. 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. . Gilbert says his team, the player, and his family are now determining if they will appeal the dismissal. McKinley Senior High School Grades 9-12 2323 17th St NW, Canton, OH 44708. Example video title will go here for this video, New procedures, clinical trials offer hope for pancreatic cancer patients | Health Yeah. Explore the benefits. In a letter shared with 3News Investigator Rachel Polansky, Canton City Schools informed Wattley of his placement on administrative leave on Wednesday. . 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