HS coaches, players involved in hitting referee in Texas punished

“I can not remember everything that I said during that game because I didn’t know I was going to need to be questioned about it later”.

“I was venting out loud for no one in particular to hear”.

“I never told anyone to hit the referee”.

“I believe you”, said committee member James Colbert.

Breed said he initially took the blame to protect the kids, but then it became apparent that this would not help them. By the second hit, he said he realized the players were targeting him. I was raised the right way.

“We’ll probably never know what motivated these young men to do what they did”, he said, “but they did it”.

“He told one of my Hispanic friends, ‘Speak English, this is America, ‘ ” Rojas claimed about Watts on Good Morning America. They will decide whether or not he will be punished for the alleged racial slurs, which he denies. “It is extremely unfortunate”.

“I love coaching football in the state of Texas”.

“It was a powder keg”.

“I did not use the n-word”. He vehemently denied accusations that he used racial slurs during the contest. “I don’t know why he would make those comments”.

He said he felt bad about making the comment immediately, and asked his fellow coaches if they thought his comment prompted the attack on the referee, who strongly denied using any racial slurs. He also said he never heard anyone speaking Spanish in response to the allegation that he told a player, “This is America, speak English”. When the Watts video emerged, Marble Falls players vented. Accordingly, the Texas Association of Sports Officials recommended no action be taken against Watts, per Roy. The executive committee referred the results of this investigation to the UIL Sports Officials Committee. After the game, Breed took responsibility for the hit.

Breed was also given a “public reprimand” by the UIL.

For one of the students, a senior, this is his previous year of eligibility. “That statement was said aloud to myself in frustration, but not directed to anyone”. “I said a lot of things to the players that night because they were letting the officiating get to them”. That’s my only concern. Gutierrez will return to the sidelines and Jay football will resume, business as usual, until a prosecutor decides if criminal charges will be pursued.

Mack Breed resigned his assistant coaching position shortly after the September 4 incident. “I had no reason to doubt him because I’ve coached the player for four years”.

Rojas, 15, and Moreno, 17, were placed in an alternative school for 75 days and banned from attending John Jay football games, even as spectators. Neither chose to testify about the incident before the State Executive Committee.

“The three primary options are a public reprimand, probation or suspension”, UIL spokeswoman Kate Hector said Wednesday. All three were again invited to Thursday’s meeting.

Fitch noted that TASO attempted to interview Moreno and Rojas and did not get a response for their attorney.

The incident in Marble Falls was caught on video and quickly went viral, embroiling the school’s football program in a controversy that rocked the entire NISD. A few plays later, two players on the team ran over the official.

The former Jay assistant coach involved in the attack on an official was suspended through the 2015-16 school year and issued a two year probation on Thursday.