Eight Ohio high school football coaches suspended after 'forcing Jewish player to eat pepperoni pizza'
Eight high school football coaches have been suspended after allegedly forcing a Jewish student to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs.
Head football coach Marcus Wattley and seven assistant coaches at McKinley Senior High School in Canton, Ohio, were placed on leave last week after they reportedly forced the 17-year-old to eat a pepperoni pizza as punishment.
The coaches forced the player to eat the pork on May 24 after he missed a voluntary workout due to injury, The Canton Repository reported.
Ed Gilbert, an attorney for the student, said on Tuesday that the teenager and his family were members of the Hebrew Israeli religious faith and did not eat pork.
Head football coach Marcus Wattley (pictured) and seven assistant coaches at McKinley Senior High School in Canton, Ohio, were suspended last week
He said the student, who skipped a voluntary workout four days earlier while nursing a sore shoulder, was ordered to sit in the middle of the gym and eat an entire pepperoni pizza.
The student, who was reportedly shouted at by his coaches and teammates as he ate the pizza, was allowed to remove the pepperoni and some of the cheese, but pork residue remained.
The teenager would have been subjected to additional drills and his status on the team might have been jeopardized if he had not followed Mr Wattley's order, the attorney added.
Mr Gilbert added that the boy was now undergoing counselling.
Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert announced the suspension of the coaches last week.
The coaches at the high school reportedly forced the 17-year-old to eat a pepperoni pizza as punishment. Pictured: GV of McKinley Senior High School
The student was allowed to remove the pepperoni and some of the cheese, but pork residue remained. (Stock image)
He told the Canton Repository: 'It was a situation that deserves to be investigated, so we're going to investigate it.'
In a post on Facebook the Canton City School District wrote: 'The safety and wellbeing of our students is our top priority.
'The incident calls into question whether appropriate team management, discipline, and player accountability infrastructures are in place. The district is nearing the completion of its investigation regarding this incident.
'Once a conclusion is reached, in accordance with our commitment to transparency, the district will provide additional information.'
Following the allegations, James Pasch, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League's Cleveland office, tweeted: 'For school coaches to reportedly force a student to eat food in violation of his religious beliefs is unacceptable [and] outrageous.'
'This student deserved better; all students deserve better.'
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