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. 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 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. This was about something much bigger.. District officials have said the surveillance cameras only record when it detects movement as a way to save memory and believe the camera didn't detect movement during the two-minute gap. However, the family in question identifies themselves as Christian. If he refused to eat the pizza,the playerwas told that his teammates would be forced to perform additional drills and "there was a question of whether he would be able to stay on the team," Gilbert said. More:Canton McKinley High School football coaches to face further discipline, possible criminal charges. Pattakos said he believesthe assistant coach, whom he did not name, wanted Wattleys job. "These quarterbacks that get their teams deep in the playoffs all can score in the fourth quarter. He has committed to playing football at a Division II university this fall. Records show the Canton City School District and Superintendent Jeff Talbert were already dismissed from the lawsuit. 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. The Canton McKinley grad could be looking at drafting a new quarterback with the No. Black Jews, who maintain a Christological perspective and adopt Jewish rituals. Thursdays board action only affects thecoaching contracts. The player testified he knew consequences existed for missing off-season workouts, which he said the coaches called mandatory. Dan Reardon has been named Canton McKinley High School's new head football coach. Game Summary. 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. 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. The lawsuit also names Canton City Schools as a defendant. And then … they start telling everyone to get around the gym with the 45-pound plates, and then they start saying if I dont eat it, then the team will have to keep doing the punishment until its all gone. June 5, 2021, 1:55 PM PDT. "I remember sitting in the stands watching a McKinley-Masillon ninth-grade game," Rose said. He saidthe video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. Example video title will go here for this video. McDaniels previously served as the wide receivers . So do my clients.". 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. It was rushed. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The attorney alsoblamesthe Canton City School District for conducting a rushed and incomplete investigation, an accusation the district denies. McKinley football player Mani Powell said he wants his coaches back. Rose's Tigers beat McDaniels' Bulldogs in an overtime shootout in the 100th game between the old rivals, in 1994. The lawsuit also had been filed against Canton City school leaders but they were dismissed from the case in January. "Josh was a coach on the field. 0:36. Ziegler is the new general manager in Las Vegas; McDaniels is the Raiders' new head coach. CANTON McKinley High School head football coach Antonio Hall has built quite a rapport with the Bowling Green coaching staff. Do you support the move, Interim McKinley Bulldogs football coach Antonio Hall will look to 'put our kids first', Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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, an investigation into misconduct against a player, Bigger than basketball: How a small team, facing huge odds, became champions, Keith Wakefield retires after 30 seasons as Perry Panthers football coach, OHSAA to expand football playoffs to 16 teams, Romero Harris - Weight room coach and baseball assistant. Disciplinary hearings for assistant coaches Joshua Grimsley and Zachary Sweat, both of whom are school resource assistants, are scheduled over the next week. Attorney Michael Kahlenberg, who represents the player and his father in the coaches defamation lawsuit, said he cannot comment on pending litigation. No Bulldogcoachs tenure has spanned more than five years since Thom McDaniels guided the program from 1982-1997. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . McLeods disciplinary hearing with school officials over his job as a safety and security liaison was held earlier Monday. 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. Dominique Sanders' squad had something to itself and 13th-seeded Canton McKinley. Talbert went on to say that video would not be publicly released due to federal student privacy regulations. More on the McDaniels family: Canton council approves street name change to honor McDaniels football family. Other football players who were at the May 24 workout have saidthe coaches never forced the playerto eat the pizza and they gave the player the choice of eating chicken nuggets instead. Repository sports writer Josh Weir contributed to this article. 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. 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. Few have better insight on McDaniels than current McKinley head coach Antonio Hall. Antonio Hall was named head coach of the McKinley High School football team on Monday. Gilbert says his team, the player, and his family are now determining if they will appeal the dismissal. The player testified he walked into the Frank Turk Alberta Football Operations Center and went into the weight room. Wattley, who was hired as McKinley's coach in 2019, said he misses his players. Gilberts attorney, Stephen P. Griffin, declined comment. My job is in the courtroom, not the press room.. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said surveillance video gave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendation to dismiss the coaches to the school board. GlenOak 22. Ex-McKinley football player sues, alleges coaches coerced him to eat pizza against beliefs, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. 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. 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. The coach was trying to teach a lesson.". 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. I try to incorporate that with my coaches every day.. 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 . The sprints werent working,Pattakos said. The player said he felt badabout eating the ribs after seeing news reports in 2021 that the ribs had been pork. 3 Nordonia (17-5), 7 p.m. Saturday . I said I dont eat pepperoni because I dont want to eat it because the grease is cooked in with the cheese. Do you support the move? It was probably going to be a touchdown to ice it. We hope that the district can acknowledge that, too, and bring everyone together.. Ed Gilbert, the attorney representing the player and his family, told 3News in a statement: "We feel the court made a clear error here. The player admitted he had lied to his teammates and coaches and told them he had been grounded for smoking marijuana. The score stayed 12-3. More on Canton McKinley football: Canton McKinley Bulldogs 2022 high school football preview. He said he would have eaten the chicken nuggets. 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. I will defer to Judge Haupt and her able staff to handle. "As a coach, you can be frustrated watching that. With the same vote, the board also deemed assistant football coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat and Josh Grimsley as ineligible for future coaching positions. Canton McKinley Bulldogs 2022 high school football preview, online post that accompanies the transcripts, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He wasnt forced to eat pork. 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. He recounted an encounter with one of the coaches at the mall recently. 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. Talbert said counselors will be available for the football players Friday. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. They said previous methods of discipline had failed to reach the player. 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. McKinley football player Mani Powellsaid he wants his coaches back. 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,. Invite the coach He said coach Brodie told him to take off the pepperoni. ', "His awareness of defenses really struck me. ", 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. Rose views McDaniels as a coach's son who paid attention and absorbed every lesson. 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. 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. "This young man is one of the most talented members of the team and he's let the team down, not showing up to practices, not communicating with his team, not fulfilling the role of a team leader," attorney Peter Pattakos told 3News. "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. 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. Theyve run plenty of sprints. 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. See below to read the full 10-page ruling from Judge Adams: Copyright 2022 WOIO. According to Gilbert,Wattley on May 24 ordered the player to sit in a chair in the middle of the gym and consume an entire pepperoni pizza while his teammates andcoaches yelled at him. as the first-year head coach of the Denver Broncos, McDaniels saw his team go . 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 sprints werent working, Pattakos said. A. Mentor (9-4) [I:1] L. 21-34. Besides pork, the player said he also abstains from eating seafood because its a bottom feeder, just like a pig.. Thom McDaniels is a retired Ohio high school football coach.. Canton McKinley High School football coach Marcus Wattley. 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.. He was calling an audible. When Pattakos asked him whether he planned to cut the coaches out of his life forever, the player said, I mean, I dont plan on rebuilding no relationship we had.. Sure, I would have loved it if he had been head coach of the Browns, but I'm glad he has this opportunity. But of course, we don't know they acted as a group. Team Statistics. The player said McLeod didnt react and continued to eat the pizza next to him. He always pushes the envelope forward. 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. "The idea was, 'Okay young man, you're so special? ", 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 story was first reported by The Repository on Wednesday as Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Talbert announced that the district had begun investigating a complaint made against the coaches, including McKinley Head Coach Marcus Wattley. He had planned to do some exercises with a stretch band due to his shoulder injury. 2023 www.cantonrep.com. One of the state's most successful 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.. 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