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A high school football coach has been fired following allegations he made a 17-year-old student eat pork, according to a report.
According to the student’s lawyer, Head Coach Marcus Wattley punished the player for missing a practice.
He did this by forcing him to go against his religious beliefs and eat pork, The New York Times reports.
Student made to eat pork
It is alleged the teenager was forced to eat an entire pepperoni pizza, despite the coaches having prior knowledge he didn’t eat meat. This took place on May 24, four days after the student missed practice.
The family’s lawyer informed the NY Times the teenager doesn’t eat meat because he is a Hebrew Israelite.
Now, the lawyer confirmed the family is planning to sue the school district.
Football coach fired
The Canton City School District in Ohio, US, took action against the McKinley Senior High School coach as well as six other assistant coaches. They voted five to one on the decision, since launching an internal investigation.
The football coaches named are Cade Brodie, Joshua Grimsley, Romero Harris, Frank McLeod, Zachary Sweat, and Tyler Thatcher.
In a statement, the board said: “The Canton City School District holds our coaching and general staff to the highest professional and ethical standards. Anything short of these standards is unacceptable and will not be permitted.”
Board President John Rinaldi added that the health and safety of students is a ‘top priority’.
Moreover, the investigation uncovered actions undertaken by the coaches had been ‘inappropriate, demeaning, and divisive’.
A new interim coach has since been hired at the school.
