Pattakos has blamed an assistant coach, whom he believes wanted Wattleys job, for presenting an exaggerated version of the story to school officials and the player's family. So then after theyre still not listening to me, the teams still around me doing the punishment, so I just eat the pizza, the player testified. 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.. They have said the player chose to pick the pepperoni off the pizza and eat it. CANTON, Ohio There are new developments in the scandal that once crippled the Canton McKinley football team. Hall is a member of the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame and the Canton McKinley Football Hall of Fame. According to Pattakos and the students, the player had the ability to leave at any time and Wattley had offered the player chicken nuggets instead of the pizza after the player said he didnt eat pork. "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. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said it was surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation. and last updated 6:19 AM, Jun 02, 2021. I try to incorporate that with my coaches every day.. Head coach Joe Mazzulla couldn't hide his . 2023 www.cantonrep.com. 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. 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. The sprints werent working, Pattakos said. Talbert said it was the surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation to fire Wattley and his assistants. as the first-year head coach of the Denver Broncos, McDaniels saw his team go . Talbert went on to say that video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. It doesnt make any sense.. 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. Return for updates. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . Repository sports writer Josh Weir contributed to this article. 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. He said he began seeing a counselor in June 2021 and has made progress. All rights reserved. Canton McKinley High School head football coach Marcus Wattley placed on administrative leave along with seven assistants More Headlines: Canton's history-making fire chief reveals big. He said he has lost respect for the McKinley coaches he once admired. "We are confident that under Coach Hall's leadership, our football program will be in very capable and experienced hands and our student-athletes will have a rewarding experience," Rinaldi said. There was no intent (to cause harm), Pattakos said. Grimsley's attorney, Bartholomew T. Freeze, could not be reached Thursday. 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. ", 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. The player said coach McLeod had been sitting in a chair beside him eating a piece of the pizza. 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. Last offseason, former McKinley star Harold Fannin signed with . Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. 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. The player testified he knew consequences existed for missing off-season workouts, which he said the coaches called mandatory. Thom McDaniels is a retired Ohio high school football coach.. So I just went with it and went to the contest, the player testified. "They are not Christian or Muslim. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said surveillance video gave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendation to dismiss the coaches to the school board. 8/19. As for the coaches who had other jobs within the district, there will be upcoming meetings to determine their futures in that capacity. We feel the coaches knew what they did and the judge wanted us to be specific. 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.". Wattley, who was hired as McKinley's coach in 2019, said he misses his players. "The idea was, 'Okay young man, you're so special? 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. 2022 Canton McKinley Football (6-6) Coach: Antonio Hall. He was calling an audible. The students said the playerhas since apologized to them and to the coaches. But of course, we don't know they acted as a group. They lose sleep over me and the boys.. Las Vegas is, and he's going to rock it 'til the wheels fall off. We hope that the district can acknowledge that, too, and bring everyone together.. He has been on staff, mostly as offensive coordinator, for all nine of Bill Belichick's New England Super Bowls. 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 love them, they know that. The incident made international headlines and has spawned three lawsuits. Traffic alert: Crash closes 224 West at Kenmore Leg in Summit County, Fan Expo Cleveland to feature 'The Office' cast, Christina Ricci and more as celebrity guests this March, FORECAST | Another surge in temps with highs topping 60 degrees, 3 skyscraper-sized asteroids making approach to Earth this week, Marcus Wattley and six of his assistant coaches were fired by Canton City Schools, Canton McKinley student allegedly forced to eat pepperoni pizza files a lawsuit against Canton City Schools in U.S. District Court, Attorney: Fired Canton McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley never forced player to eat pork, Canton McKinley football coaches fired for pizza incident file defamation suit, Canton McKinley football coach Marcus Wattley, 6 assistants fired following misconduct investigation. He said the student had stopped regularly communicating with his coaches, had left workouts early, and had been acting disrespectfully to coaches. As we approach trial, any attempt to taint a jury pool is truly not a practice I would ever engage. McLeod on Tuesday said he believes the surveillance video clears the coaches. 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. Add the football angle of Massillon-Hoban and this is a can't miss. Attorney Michael Kahlenberg, who represents the player and his father in the coaches defamation lawsuit, said he cannot comment on pending litigation. He always tried to do the best he could at anything he did. Nordonia, 11-13 last year, was looking to also avenge a 58-42 loss last year to McKinley as a 19th seed in the . Beyond the disciplinary hearings, two other investigations remain open: The Canton City police department is investigating whether the coaches conduct rises to the level of a criminal hazing charge. He said hes asked God for forgiveness for eating the pork residue. Canton McKinley Bulldogs 2022 high school football preview, online post that accompanies the transcripts, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Allegations that the court says "lumped all the former coaches together without distinguishing the allegations against each individual. "There's nobody in the business who is going to work harder than Josh. 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. "While on administrative leave, you are not to be on school property or to have any form of communication or contact with any Canton City School District student(s), parents, or staff member without expressed permission from this office," Canton City Schools Human Resource Director Deidre K. Stokes Davis wrote to Wattley. Nobody wins in this.. Pattakos, who said the player apologized to the coaches and showed up for the voluntary workout the next day after his punishment, blames anassistant coach for inflaming the situation by reporting an exaggerated version to administrators and the players family. The Canton Repository has agreed to not name the 17-year-old player, who has received interest from Division I colleges. I learned from a great man how to coach football. The player said McLeod didnt react and continued to eat the pizza next to him. We wont stop fighting until we get them back., More about McKinley's new head coach: Interim McKinley Bulldogs football coach Antonio Hall will look to 'put our kids first'. "These quarterbacks that get their teams deep in the playoffs all can score in the fourth quarter. The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. 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. According to his deposition testimony, the players father first introduced the family to the Hebrew Israelite faith in 2013. "The Raiders have a lot of the pieces they need to be a great team, starting with the quarterback. Note: This video has been altered to protect kids' identities. Thursdays board action only affects thecoaching contracts. Gilbert said the family has delayed filing its lawsuit because the district has asked to mediate the dispute out of court. 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. 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,. … It was nice seeing him, but like, what was going through my mind at the time was the disrespect that they put me through, he testified. When Pattakos asked him if he believed that any of the coaches intended to harm him by violating his religious beliefs, the player responded: I dont know what they were what was going through their heads, so I dont know.. "The type of behavior was inappropriate, demeaning, and divisive.". Canton McKinley sophomore Dante McClellan looks to make a play at Akron East, Wed., Feb. 15, 2023 "We struggled at the rim," Vlkajkovich said. 3. 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.". What we are most certain of is that this communitys unfortunate loss will be another communitys gain, and that Mr. Wattleys excellent record as a coach, educator, and community servant will continue to speak for itself to anyone interested in the truth.". 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. Pattakos also states that hes releasing the transcripts in the interest of correcting the record and mitigating the damage caused by the defamatory accusations that have ruined the reputations of former McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley and his former assistant coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, Romero Harris, Cade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher. … I was yelling at him, I was telling him I dont eat it because of my religion, the player said. Attorney Stephen Griffin, who represents Gilbert in the coaches defamation lawsuit, declined to respond to Pattakos online post. Jack Rose, who coached against McDaniels at Massillon in the '90s, is betting on him now. 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. 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