Kuberacki went on to a fascinating Air Force career that is its own story. Its not like they put their hands on me, but they forced me to eat it, he said. This is an extraordinary tactic that is used to teach an extraordinary lesson to an extraordinary young man under extraordinary circumstances.. He was one of several football players who attended the disciplinary hearing Monday to show their support for Wattley and McLeod. 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,. We hope that the district can acknowledge that, too, and bring everyone together.. Melt Bar & Grilled closes 2 Ohio locations, Ohio Gov. 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. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the University of Michigan and also previously serving as the interim wide receivers coach in late 2018. Wattley, who was hired as McKinley's coach in 2019, said he misses his players. Attorney Pattakos released the following statement on behalf of Marcus Wattley late Thursday night: "We asked the district to postpone their decision for at least one more week to allow for this matter to be fully and fairly investigated, including upon full consideration of the testimony of the numerous Canton McKinley football players who witnessed this event and were at tonight's board meeting wanting to tell anyone who would listen that the story being advanced by the alleged victim's father and attorney is not true. 8/19. Pattakos said Wattley previously had witnessed the eating-alone lesson work effectively in a different Division I locker room. For inexplicable reasons, the board denied this basic request and refused to listen to these young men, reflecting that the district's leadership is not interested in the truth of this matter, and is instead motivated by something else. Box Score. I think Carr is really good at it. Example video title will go here for this video. He is McKinley's fifth head coach in 10 seasons. 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. … Physically harming is a lot different. Attorney Edward Gilbert, who is representing the 17-year-old player at the center of the controversyand his family, on June 14 released the surveillance video that was taken on May 24 when the family says Wattley and his staff forced the player to eat an entire pepperoni pizza against his Hebrew Israelite religious beliefs as punishment for missing a voluntary workout. Tournament Game. "When Josh was talking in the offensive huddle, you would have thought Coach McD was talking to us. An attorney representing Marcus Wattley told 3News Investigates that there's more to this story that hasn't been told. Mike DeWine suffered injury while in East Palestine, Ohio State Fire Marshal: Oakwood factory fire was not the result of a criminal act, Improvements coming to I-480 near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio football coaches allegedly force Hebrew Israelite student to eat pork for missing practice, Canton City Schools fire 7 football coaches accused of forcing a Hebrew Israelite student to eat pork, Whistleblower says he was unfairly fired following Canton McKinley High School pizza-eating incident, Former Canton-McKinley football coaches sue school district leaders, father of athlete at center of pizza scandal, Closed Captioning/Audio Description Problems. 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. 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. 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. Its unclear from the players testimony whether the other coaches heard the player talking about his religion. McLeods disciplinary hearing with school officials over his job as a safety and security liaison was held earlier Monday. See below to read the full 10-page ruling from Judge Adams: Copyright 2022 WOIO. Canton McKinley Football's "You Can Get There From Here" series. 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.. Repository sports writer Josh Weir contributed to this article. A federal judge said there was insufficient evidence to support allegations that the player was forced to eat food against his religion. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Last offseason, former McKinley star Harold Fannin signed with . 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. 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. Dan Reardon has been named Canton McKinley High School's new head football coach. ', "His awareness of defenses really struck me. … 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.. Pro Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for . Their complex narrative is being analyzed around the country. 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. CANTONWhat Canton City school officials called a misguided attempt to instill discipline has led to the firingof McKinley High School head football coach Marcus Wattley and six of his assistant coaches. "This incident does not reflect the Canton City School District's culture of protecting the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students.". The sprints werent working,Pattakos said. Theyve run plenty of sprints. Pattakos said attempts to settle the lawsuit failed this week when the defendants offered only a four-figure settlement sum. You can get anywhere . He said he missed some workouts because he was getting paid to do yard work for a coachs friend, a woman at his moms church and his grandfather. He went on to play at the University of Kentucky and in the Canadian Football League with Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan. McLeods disciplinary hearing with school officials over his job as a safety and security liaison was held earlier Monday. Thom McDaniels is a retired Ohio high school football coach.. 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. If not, then you can leave. Thats the lesson.. 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. School officials told The Repository this week that the school will review its entire athletic program. 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 . The Canton Repository has agreed to not name the 17-year-old player, who has received interest from Division I colleges. Attorney Peter Pattakos, the lead attorney representing six of the former McKinley football coaches in two of the lawsuits related to the pizza-eating incident, on Thursday released a 298-page transcript of the players roughlyseven-hour testimony that was taken as part of a court deposition. Reach Kelli at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com. The former Canton McKinley football coaches who have been waiting for more than a year for a chance to clear their names in court have decided to wait a while longer. . Explore the benefits. Superintendent Jeff Talbert said it was surveillance video that gave him the information he needed to make his recommendation. 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. I said I dont eat pepperoni because I dont want to eat it because the grease is cooked in with the cheese. 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. He has committed to playing football at a Division II university this fall. Here's what we know nowabout the May 24incident along with what's next for the fired coaches and the Canton McKinley football team: Attorney Ed Gilbert, who is representing the player and his family,believesthe school district violated the player's constitutional rights when the coaches punished the playerformissing a May 20voluntarystrengthening and conditioning practice to nurse a slight shoulder injury he received during a priorpractice. 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. 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. 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. Record: 10-0. CANTON McKinley High School head football coach Antonio Hall has built quite a rapport with the Bowling Green coaching staff. . December 4, 2004 (at Canton Fawcett Stadium) Canton McKinley 3 7 0 0 10 (11-4) Cincinnati Colerain 6 17 20 7 50 (15-0) Coaches: Brian Cross (Canton McKinley); Kerry Coombs (Cincinnati Colerain) Attendance (unofficial): 16,885. 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. Canton McKinley football coach's attorney disputes claims by player. Grimsleys message advised Humphrey that he had concerns with how the student was treated. As we approach trial, any attempt to taint a jury pool is truly not a practice I would ever engage. So I just went with it and went to the contest, the player testified. 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. 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. But they should have known that he didnt eat pork, he contends. 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. 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 . You did not serve the community.. "I'm very excited Josh is getting another opportunity. 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. McDaniels is a significant donor. McKinley Football Staff Players (57) Staff (1) Antonio Hall Head Coach Are you the coach? Head coach Joe Mazzulla couldn't hide his . Claim this team Ways you can help Make an impact on this team, and help keep MaxPreps up-to-date. 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. Updated: Jun. That set up a touchdown. Records show the Canton City School District and Superintendent Jeff Talbert were already dismissed from the lawsuit. "He's been the best offensive coordinator in the NFL, I think. "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. They needed to get through to him some other way. Pattakos intends to refile the lawsuit as soon as is practicable. In a statement, he said the goal of the new lawsuit is to hold the school district leaders accountable for the harm they caused the coaches when they failed to fully investigate the accusations, did not inform the public truthfully and did not treat all involved parties fairly. I knew about Josh then, and I followed him over the years.". Monica A. Coleman, a theologian and professor of Africana studies at the University of Delaware, said someHebrew Israelites do consider themselves to be Jewish. It doesnt make any sense.. During this. Disciplinary hearings for assistant coaches Joshua Grimsley and Zachary Sweat, both of whom are school resource assistants, are scheduled over the next week. 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