They have said the player chose to pick the pepperoni off the pizza and eat it. Judge John Adams found there was not enough evidence to support allegations made by legal representation of the student-athlete. CANTON, Ohio There are new developments in the scandal that once crippled the Canton McKinley football team. Hall is one of the drivers behind the Marion Motley statue planned for a spot near the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 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. CANTON, Ohio With an attorney by his side, the father of a junior at McKinley Senior High School shared his anger after he told News 5 his son, who is a . I think I said, Im sorry for missing practice and I wont let it happen again or something across those lines, the player testified. The player said in his rush to eat the pizza so his teammates could stop the workout sooner, he believes he left some cheese on the pizza. In an online post that accompanies the transcripts, Pattakos writes thatthe players testimony, along with testimony from his father, another former coach and affidavits from his former teammates, prove the coaches never knowingly violated the players religious beliefs, a key contention that elevated the story to an international level and is the basis for the players federal civil rights lawsuit. Rose views McDaniels as a coach's son who paid attention and absorbed every lesson. Talbert said assistant coach Badre El Bardawil, who also had been suspended on May 26 with the other coaches, remains an assistant coachbecause the evidence did not show that he performed in the same manner as the other coaches.. 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. His defense is all over the place. 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. Gilbert, who did not attend the school board meeting, said the player has been devastated by the situation and continues to undergo psychological counseling. 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. 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. It doesnt make any sense.. Pattakos said Wattley previously had witnessed the eating-alone lesson work effectively in a different Division I locker room. The teammates affidavits also said that Wattley told the player he could leave if he didnt want to participate. Record: 10-0. He said he would have eaten the chicken nuggets. It was probably going to be a touchdown to ice it. Rose's Tigers beat McDaniels' Bulldogs in an overtime shootout in the 100th game between the old rivals, in 1994. She ruled the alleged defamatory statements attributed to district officials either contained no false statements of facts, were opinions and judgment calls or had not been published. 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. Theyve run plenty of sprints. After the hearings, Canton City Schools spokeswoman Lisa Reicosky said Superintendent Jeff Talbertis expectedto make a recommendation to the Canton City school board regarding their employment outside of their coaching positions. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. I told them that I was smoking marijuana because I didnt want them to know that I was smoking Black & Milds because I thought Black & Milds was worse than marijuana, the player testified. McDaniels, 45, is back in a head coaching seat for the first time since getting fired by the Denver Broncos 12 games into the 2010 season. He was doing his best to teach an extraordinary athlete an important lesson., After the boards vote, Pattakos yelled to the superintendent and the board, This was a bad decision. Example video title will go here for this video, New procedures, clinical trials offer hope for pancreatic cancer patients | Health Yeah. 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. 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.". But, he still faces the possibility of. Other lawsuits filedEx-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs. Attorney Michael Kahlenberg, who represents the player and his father in the coaches defamation lawsuit, said he cannot comment on pending litigation. CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - Former Canton McKinley football coach Marcus Wattley is still fighting to get his job back as the head coach of the Bulldogs. The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. 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. You can read Judge Adams' dismissal ruling below: Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. "What I can tell you is that all of our athletes are safe, we are continuing on with our strengthening and conditioning program and we will investigate this according to our district policies. 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. They needed to show him what it was like to be the only man eating in a room full of hungry, working men. CANTON, Ohio (WJW) The Canton City School District Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday evening to discuss further discipline for a group of football coaches. He saidthe video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. "These quarterbacks that get their teams deep in the playoffs all can score in the fourth quarter. Athletic Director Antonio Hall was hired as the districts interim head football coach for the upcoming season. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. The Canton McKinley grad could be looking at drafting a new quarterback with the No. There was no intent (to cause harm), Pattakos said. 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. The Ohio Department of Educations professional conduct division also is reviewing whether the coaches should retain their educational and coaching licenses. He again declined to provide details of what happened that day and saidthe video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. newsletter. 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 did it a few times and I remember saying, 'The kid is calling audibles as a freshman. 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. 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. Talbert said it was the surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation to fire Wattley and his assistants. Talbert went on to say that video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. He said he later told some of the coaches over the phone that he would get this straightened out because they said some people had suggested that the coaches had tried to physically harm him, which he said was untrue. The lawsuit also names Canton City Schools as a defendant. 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. Melt Bar & Grilled closes 2 Ohio locations, Ohio Gov. It has left one of Ohio's most storied prep football programs working quickly to reset for its upcoming season and the Canton City School District in limbo as it awaits word on whetherthe player's familywill file a First Amendment lawsuitand whether criminal hazing chargeswill be filed against the coaches. 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.. Wilson, a nine-time Pro Bowler in Seattle, last offseason engineered his way to Denver (and to a new . Repository reporters Kelli Weir, Charita Goshay,Steve Doerschuk and Josh Weir contributed to this story. Their complex narrative is being analyzed around the country. According to his deposition testimony, the players father first introduced the family to the Hebrew Israelite faith in 2013. Following the vote to relieve Wattley of his duties, the board confirmed athletic director Antonio Hall will serve as interim head football coach for the 2021 season. Updated: 1:20 p.m., Thursday, June 3, 2021. Ex-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. One of the state's most successful coaches . But they should have known that he didnt eat pork, he contends. 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You can get anywhere . CANTON, Ohio Eight coaches from the Canton McKinley High School football team have been placed on administrative leave, including head coach Marcus Wattley. Thursdays board action only affects thecoaching contracts. "The Raiders have a lot of the pieces they need to be a great team, starting with the quarterback. ", "It's (the dismissal) not going to fix the damage that has been done," said Peter Pattakos, the attorney representing the coaches. 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.. Motley played at Canton McKinley High School, which is on the Hall of Fame Village's campus. Hall, who also serves as McKinley's athletic director,. 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. As we approach trial, any attempt to taint a jury pool is truly not a practice I would ever engage. 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. "I've always thought if he got another shot at a head coaching job, he would flourish. I love them, they know that, Wattley said. Before the pizza incident happened, I respected them and had love for them for what theyve done for me throughout the years, he said, citing the times they would drive him to practice and appointments and helped him get his knee surgery. 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. He is McKinley's fifth head coach in 10 seasons. As for the coaches who had other jobs within the district, there will be upcoming meetings to determine their futures in that capacity. The player testified he knew consequences existed for missing off-season workouts, which he said the coaches called mandatory. You're the king, you're the prince.' Every day . Pattakos said he believesthe assistant coach, whom he did not name, wanted Wattleys job. He didnt provide a reason why. He always tries to make the people around him better. Canton McKinley Football's "You Can Get There From Here" series. 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. 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. It was along those lines, and the kid knew he was being disciplined. 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. 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. This wasnt about that (a single missed workout). School board president John "J.R." Rinaldi said Hall will continue to serve as the district's athletic director and will work with the district's administrative team to build his football staff. I wasnt taking it, so then he just sat it down right beside me again. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - New developments occurred this week in the pizza scandal involving a former Canton McKinley football player and his coaches. Wattley, who was hired as McKinley's coach in 2019, said he misses his players. A few thousand watched the Marietta Pioneers nurse a lead against the visiting John Carroll Blue Streaks. Pattakos said the punishment was not merely for missing a single voluntary workout. Grimsley's attorney, Bartholomew T. Freeze, could not be reached Thursday. Last offseason, former McKinley star Harold Fannin signed with . 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 . 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. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. McKinley football player Mani Powellsaid he wants his coaches back. 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. Thats the lesson that needed to get through to him.. He has beenan assistant coach at McKinley, GlenOak and St. Thomas Aquinas. 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. The Canton City School Board held a special meeting Thursday evening to discuss the incident that occurred . All rights reserved. With Josh going there now, Carr staying is a done deal.". 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. 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. Repository sports writer Josh Weir contributed to this article. "I remember sitting in the stands watching a McKinley-Masillon ninth-grade game," Rose said. Pattakos said attempts to settle the lawsuit failed this week when the defendants offered only a four-figure settlement sum. 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,. McLeod on Tuesday said he believes the surveillance video clears the coaches. The Canton City Board of Education voted to fire the coaches on June 3, 2021 after surveillance camera video surfaced of the incident. Pattakos said Wattley previously had witnessed the eating-alone lesson work effectively in a different Division I locker room. 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. The Bulldogs went 9-3 in Wattley's first year,. Thats the lesson that needed to get through to him.. 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. "As a coach, you can be frustrated watching that. Location: Massillon, Ohio. He has committed to playing football at a Division II university this fall. . We feel the coaches knew what they did and the judge wanted us to be specific. School officials told The Repository this week that the school will review its entire athletic program. And I was cussing at them, and they were saying, Oh, then he was like, when did he get so tough?. Hall is a member of the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame and the Canton McKinley Football Hall of Fame. 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. 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. 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. 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