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. 2022 OHSAA High School Football Playoff Brackets (Ohio) Region 1. … I was yelling at him, I was telling him I dont eat it because of my religion, the player said. Nordonia, 11-13 last year, was looking to also avenge a 58-42 loss last year to McKinley as a 19th seed in the . Fletcher played 256 NFL games, third all-time among linebackers behind Junior Seau (268) and Clay Matthews (278). More on the McDaniels family: Canton council approves street name change to honor McDaniels football family. He said coach Brodie told him to take off the pepperoni. He has beenan assistant coach at McKinley, GlenOak and St. Thomas Aquinas. I was hoping David Carr would come to the Browns. 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. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. Video that shows the events that led to 7 McKinley High School coaches being removed. 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 . Head coach: Paul Brown. "These quarterbacks that get their teams deep in the playoffs all can score in the fourth quarter. 1940 Massillon Washington High School. The Canton City Board of Education voted to fire the coaches on June 3, 2021 after surveillance camera video surfaced of the incident. You want special treatment? Wattley's attorney Peter Pattakostold The Canton Repository on Mondaythat Wattley and the assistant 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. Assistant coachesCade Brodie and Tyler Thatcher, and assistant baseball coach Romero Harris, who hasrelated weight room duties, also were dismissed from the team, but they do not have separate jobs with the Canton City School District. John Carroll went on to an 18-12 win. "We were ahead, with the ball," recalls Kuberacki, 44. 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. He didnt provide a reason why. In the trial that was to start Monday, Stark County Common Pleas Judge Natalie Haupt had dismissed Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert and board members John J.R. Rinaldi, Scott Russ, Kim Brown, David Kaminski and Eric Resnick from the case. Talbert said surveillance videogave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendations to the board. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said surveillance video gave administrators the information they needed to warrant their recommendation to dismiss the coaches to the school board. It was probably going to be a touchdown to ice it. From 2004 to 2011, Reardon served as head coach at Youngstown Ursuline. 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. 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. He was one of several football players who attended the disciplinary hearing Monday to show their support for Wattley. We feel that he overreacted.". Powell said Wattley and all of the assistant coaches have becomefather figures to him and his teammates. He was calling an audible. So, they just kept it there and then when I kicked the box, they brought it back to me, so there was nothing I could do, said the player, according to a transcript of a deposition he gave on June 23. 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. Dominique Sanders' squad had something to itself and 13th-seeded Canton McKinley. Wattley was hired at McKinley in 2019 and McLeod has been coaching since 2004. Disciplinary hearings for assistant coaches Joshua Grimsley and Zachary Sweat, both of whom are school resource assistants, are scheduled over the next week. 11, 2021 at 4:07 PM PDT. 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. "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," Talbert said. 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. "The Raiders have a lot of the pieces they need to be a great team, starting with the quarterback. "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. Black Israelites, who are most nationalistic and furthest from traditional Judaism. They lose sleep over me and the boys.. The incident made international headlines and has spawned three lawsuits. This is an extraordinary tactic that is used to teach an extraordinary lesson to an extraordinary young man under extraordinary circumstances.. "There's nobody in the business who is going to work harder than Josh. "Caserio was a standout," said Kuberacki. I learned from a great man how to coach football. Black Jews, who maintain a Christological perspective and adopt Jewish rituals. This young man wasnt forced to eat anything, Pattakos said. In a letter shared with 3News Investigator Rachel Polansky, Canton City Schools informed Wattley of his placement on administrative leave on Wednesday. With the same vote, the board also deemed assistant football coaches Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat and Josh Grimsley as ineligible for future coaching positions. Attorney Ed Gilbert, who is representing the player and his family, called the coaches explanation for their punishment bizarre and a desperate attempt to try to hurt (the players) family. He said no matter what the coaches say, it doesnt excuse them for coercing a player to eat pork against his religious beliefs. 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.". 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. No Bulldogs coachs tenure has spanned more than five years since Thom McDaniels guided the program from 1982-1997. But it wasnt until roughly five years later when the player, then in eighth grade, started to strictly follow the faiths dietary restrictions. Canton McKinley football coach's attorney disputes claims by player. 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. 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. 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. "This incident does not reflect the Canton City School District's culture of protecting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students.". Pattakos blamed an assistant coach, whom he did not name, for inflaming the situation by reporting an exaggerated version to administrators and the players family. 40-22 (W) McKinley vs. GlenOak. Pattakos said the punishment was not merely for missing a single voluntary workout. It doesnt make any sense.. Gilbert has said the family has agreed to meet with district officials before pursuing a lawsuit. Four young men in this program have been shot in this last calendar year alone, Pattakos said. Rose's Tigers beat McDaniels' Bulldogs in an overtime shootout in the 100th game between the old rivals, in 1994. I said I dont eat pepperoni because I dont want to eat it because the grease is cooked in with the cheese. 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. Coaching career. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - New developments occurred this week in the pizza scandal involving a former Canton McKinley football player and his coaches. 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. 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,. The 17-year-old belongs to. I miss my boys. "Josh knew how to play defensive back," Miller said. Ed Gilbert, the attorney representing the player and his family, told 3News in a statement: "We feel the court made a clear error here. 13 Canton McKinley (11-12) at No. 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. Canton McKinley High School football coach Marcus Wattley. After meeting for more than an hour in executive session, the board of education unanimously voted to terminate Wattley's contract, along with the following other coaches: Wattley and the remaining six coaches were originally on administrative leave following an accusation that they forced a student to eat pepperoni pizza after he showed up late to a non-mandatory practice on May 24. He said he would have eaten the chicken nuggets. The district has sent its investigation to the Ohio Department of Education's professional conduct division andthe Canton City Police Department for review. I knew it was coming sooner or later.". Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. We feel the coaches knew what they did and the judge wanted us to be specific. 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. CANTON, Ohio Eight coaches from the Canton McKinley High School football team have been placed on administrative leave, including head coach Marcus Wattley. 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. All rights reserved. They said the player chose to take off the pepperoni and eat it. … I still have visuals of them yelling at me and stuff to eat it, and I felt like my religion didnt matter to them, and they threw it out the window, and I told them I didnt eat it and they made me feel some type of way.. Its absolutely, totally ridiculous, Gilbert said. There's nobody more tenacious. Black Hebrews, who are more traditional in their practice of Judaism. The weekly sessions are now monthly check-ins. 2 Canton McKinley football players speak out about teammate's punishment: Why they say it was unfair for 7 coaches to lose their jobs The coach was expected to speak with 19 News at . The lawsuit also had been filed against Canton City school leaders but they were dismissed from the case in January. 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. 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. 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. By The Associated Press. But they should have known that he didnt eat pork, he contends. An investigation found the seven staff members made a player eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs. As we approach trial, any attempt to taint a jury pool is truly not a practice I would ever engage. Wattley and seven assistant coaches have been suspended by the Canton City School District after one of the players said. He also had exceptional talent that few McKinley coaches have recently enjoyed. He said hes asked God for forgiveness for eating the pork residue. He said the student had stopped regularly communicating with his coaches, had left workouts early, and had been acting disrespectfully to coaches. 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 . Its unclear whether the player told the coaches about the yardwork. The students said the playerhas since apologized to them and to the coaches. As of Monday, both investigations were ongoing. 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. Team Statistics. I remember them cussing at me, but I remember Coach Wattley saying that if I dont eat it then … the team is going to keep doing the workouts and if I was to leave, then I couldnt come back, he said. He has been Canton's AD for less than a year. 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. 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. HENDERSON, Nev. Growing up in Canton, Josh McDaniels vividly remembers seeing stenciled helmets painted on the double-yellow lines on his way to McKinley High School. 2022 Canton McKinley Football (6-6) Coach: Antonio Hall. 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. Earlier this month, Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert released a video statement to, "set the record straight" about the recent firing of seven McKinley High School football coaches. McLeod on Tuesday said he believes the surveillance video clears the coaches. Allegations that the court says "lumped all the former coaches together without distinguishing the allegations against each individual. They needed to show him what it was like to be the only man eating in a room full of hungry, working men. Thats the lesson that needed to get through to him.. Disciplinary hearings for assistant coaches Joshua Grimsley and Zachary Sweat, both of whom are school resource assistants, are scheduled over the next week. Canton City Schools SuperintendentJeff Talbert reiterated the statements he gave Wednesday when he announced the coaches would face further discipline. Are you hungry? 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. Canton McKinley Bulldogs 2022 high school football preview, online post that accompanies the transcripts, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Note: This video has been altered to protect kids' identities. Return for updates. He recounted an encounter with one of the coaches at the mall recently. McDaniels is a significant donor. Besides pork, the player said he also abstains from eating seafood because its a bottom feeder, just like a pig.. They are more than coaches, said Powell, who lost hisfather when he was young. He disputed Pattakos' statement that Wattley had offered the player chicken nuggets or any alternative food. 2023 www.cantonrep.com. That set up a touchdown. 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. "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. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - New developments occurred this week in the pizza scandal involving a former Canton McKinley football player and his coaches. Other coaches involved have not responded to requests for comment or have declined comment. Frank McLeod, one of the assistant coaches who was dismissed, on Tuesday said he believes the district's surveillance video clears the coaches. A federal judge filed an order Thursday to . School officials told The Repository this week that the school will review its entire athletic program. violated the player's constitutional rights, the districts completed internal investigation, interviews with five of the coaches and three players, Hebrew Israelites do consider themselves to be Jewish, was hired as the districts interim head football coach for the upcoming season, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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