They needed to show him what it was like to be the only man eating in a room full of hungry, working men. He was one of several football players who attended the disciplinary hearing Monday to show their support for Wattley and McLeod. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Gilbert said the family has delayed filing its lawsuit because the district has asked to mediate the dispute out of court. The player said coach McLeod had been sitting in a chair beside him eating a piece of the pizza. I love them, they know that. Pattakos, on behalf of Wattley and assistant coach Frank McLeod, on Monday described a situation where the 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. CANTON McKinley High School head football coach Antonio Hall has built quite a rapport with the Bowling Green coaching staff. This young man wasnt forced to eat anything, Pattakos said. Hall is a member of the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame and the Canton McKinley Football Hall of Fame. Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert hasn't released details of what happened on May 24. I don't think that's going to happen now, with Josh there.". 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.. Canton McKinley sophomore Dante McClellan looks to make a play at Akron East, Wed., Feb. 15, 2023 "We struggled at the rim," Vlkajkovich said. Head coach Joe Mazzulla couldn't hide his . Invite the coach I wasnt taking it, so then he just sat it down right beside me again. Superintendent Jeff Talbert called the actions of the coaches "inappropriate, demeaning, and divisive. ', 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. Video that shows the events that led to 7 McKinley High School coaches being removed. He saidthe video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. Pattakos said the punishment was not merely for missing a single voluntary workout. A few thousand watched the Marietta Pioneers nurse a lead against the visiting John Carroll Blue Streaks. "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. 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. 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. Black Israelites, who are most nationalistic and furthest from traditional Judaism. 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. They have insisted they weretrying to rescue a troubled player whose off-the-field behavior was influencing his teammates and was jeopardizing his future as a Division I college athlete. The player said he continued to protest and at one point kicked the box, but the box was brought back to him. 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. "He's been the best offensive coordinator in the NFL, I think. "The Raiders have a lot of the pieces they need to be a great team, starting with the quarterback. "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. The district has sent its investigation to the Ohio Department of Education's professional conduct division andthe Canton City Police Department for review. Jack Rose, who coached against McDaniels at Massillon in the '90s, is betting on him now. Kuberacki went on to a fascinating Air Force career that is its own story. 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. The Canton McKinley vs. Massillon Washington rivalry is the 13th most played rivalry in the nation, with 129 meetings between the schools. We feel that he overreacted.". 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. 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. Talbert said surveillance videogave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendations to the board. Hall, who is coming up on the one-year anniversary of his hire as McKinleys athletic director, playedon McKinleys 1997 and 1998 state championshipteams. Canton McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistants were fired last week following allegations the coaches forced a 17-year-old player to eat an entire pepperoni. McLeods disciplinary hearing with school officials over his job as a safety and security liaison was held earlier Monday. And he believes they should have stopped the punishment when he said that day that it violated his religion. There's nobody more tenacious. Editors Note: Below is a previous report by 19 News about the lawsuit. . Canton McKinley head football coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistants were firedlast weekfollowingallegations thecoaches forced a 17-year-old player to eat an entire pepperoni pizza against his Hebrew Israelite religious beliefs as punishment for missing a voluntary workout. We have a number of careers that have been destroyed here. "The type of behavior was inappropriate, demeaning, and divisive.". ", Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com, This article originally appeared on The Repository: Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels stirs reactions in Canton, American football coach and executive (born 1975), 'I know where to go and pour them': Fate of 40-year-old Hudepohl six-packs rides on Bengals winning AFC title, Super Bowl, Canton council approves street name change to honor McDaniels football family, I don't think they gave him enough time in Denver, McKinley won a rematch in the playoffs two weeks later, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels stirs reactions in Canton, Chicago Mayor Lightfoot ousted; Vallas, Johnson in runoff, King asks Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move out of Frogmore so Prince Andrew can move in, Biden Mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene With 1 Simple Hand Gesture, A Nebraska high-school cheerleader competed on her own after the rest of her squad quit. He disputed Pattakos' statement that Wattley had offered the player chicken nuggets or any alternative food. It is a substantial piece of justice for the coaches that they are very grateful for.". 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. 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. 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. Canton family's faith at the center of McKinley High football coach abuse allegations, Head football coach Marcus Wattley, six others dismissed for misconduct. Records show the Canton City School District and Superintendent Jeff Talbert were already dismissed from the lawsuit. You can read Judge Adams' dismissal ruling below: Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. Disciplinary hearings for assistant coaches Joshua Grimsley and Zachary Sweat, both of whom are school resource assistants, are scheduled over the next week. "We were ahead, with the ball," recalls Kuberacki, 44. Explore the benefits. 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. 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. "I don't think they gave him enough time in Denver. Ziegler is the new general manager in Las Vegas; McDaniels is the Raiders' new head coach. The incident made international headlines and has spawned three lawsuits. Motley played at Canton McKinley High School, which is on the Hall of Fame Village's campus. One of the state's most successful coaches . The 17-year-old belongs to. CANTON, Ohio (WOIO) - The whistleblower who alerted school officials about the alleged actions of Canton McKinley High School coaches said he was unfairly . 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. The Canton McKinley grad could be looking at drafting a new quarterback with the No. Frank McLeod, one of the assistant coaches who was dismissed, on Tuesday said he believes the district's surveillance video clears the coaches. ', "His awareness of defenses really struck me. Repository reporters Kelli Weir, Charita Goshay,Steve Doerschuk and Josh Weir contributed to this story. He was offered chicken (nuggets) and (told), You can sit here and eat. This is not something that he made up, Pattakos said. Nobody is perfect, not even Coach Wattley is perfect and he knows that. Canton McKinley football coach's attorney disputes claims by player. Few have better insight on McDaniels than current McKinley head coach Antonio Hall. By The Associated Press. 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 has been Canton's AD for less than a year. Canton McKinley pizza scandal: Judge dismisses former football coaches from lawsuit. 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. 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. 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