Northside ISD investigating incident with official, Jay players (Video)

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

Unfortunately, the law against abusive of a sports participant is not applicable to this case.

The key part of the law, which I disagree with is:

a Class B misdemeanor if the offense is committed by a person who is not a sports participant the actors in this case were sports participants, therefore the law does not apply.

I disagree with the wording of the law in light of previous attacks by participants against officials (Michigan soccer ref killing). The penalty should apply to any non-participant who commits and act clearly outside the scope and context of the game.

A chop block against an opponent is an act while illegal under the rules of the sport, would not constitute an act completely outside the scope of the game.

Running into the back of, then spearing an official is an act that should be considered outside the scope of the game.

It's more like a battery that happened to take place in the vicinity of a football game.

[SC Official]

More developments

Players claim racial slur used by referee in Texas football viral video case

[APG]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

It's more like a battery that happened to take place in the vicinity of a football game.

Texas penal code does not distinguish between assault and battery

[grunewar]

9/18 - Interviews with the two players:

https://gma.yahoo.com/football-playe...pstories.html#

[Altor]

“They apologized, they’re sorry. They didn’t mean to do this,” Hernandez said.

They apologized, that's great. I'm glad they're owning up to their mistake.

They didn't mean to do this? I don't think you understand what that phrase means.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

I think it's great that these two have apologized but they still need to face criminal prosecution to the fullest extent of Texas law for this.They should also be barred to the alternative school for the remainder of their academic careers.

[Nevadaref]

• Texas HS football players say coach told them to hit referee
• John Barr and Michael Sciallo

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SAN ANTONIO -- The two Texas high school football players, suspended for blindsiding an official during a Sept. 4 game, both say they were following a direct order from their assistant coach before delivering the infamous hits.
John Jay high school senior Michael Moreno, 17, and his teammate Victor Rojas, a 15-year-old sophomore at John Jay, spoke publicly for the first time since the video of their blindside tackle of referee Robert Watts went viral.
Moreno and Watts first appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" Friday morning with their San Antonio-based attorney, Jesse Hernandez, before also sitting down for an extensive interview with ESPN's Outside the Lines.
Moreno told OTL he was standing on the sidelines next to teammate Trenton Hobdy when their position coach, John Jay assistant Mack Breed, took the two players aside and ordered them to hit Watts. Moreno said Breed had grown angry after Watts used racist language and ejected John Jay's starting quarterback earlier in the game.
"Right before I was going to the field he pulled me and Trenton to the side and told us, 'You need to hit that m-----f-----,'" Moreno said.
"He was like, 'You need to hit him. You need to make him pay the price,'" Moreno added.
Last week Outside the Lines was provided the accounts of four John Jay players and one sideline source. Those players and the source were not named due to the ongoing school investigation but, according to those accounts, Breed did not explicitly tell Hobdy to hit Watts.
After the sideline conversation with Breed, Moreno said, he and Rojas took the field, each lining up at safety for the next defensive series. Moreno said it was Hobdy who communicated Breed's instructions to Rojas. The players say they looked at each other and asked: "Are we really going to do this?" Rojas said.
On that defensive series, Rojas can be seen hitting Watts from behind. Moreno then appears to spear Watts with his helmet as Watts lay defenseless on the ground. The players say the video of the hit, which has now been seen by millions of people, led to a flood of hostile comments on social media.
"People [are] talking about [how] we're criminals and thugs. They just know us by that video," Rojas said.
"I think we're just seen as these thugs and gangsters and we did this on our own," Moreno said.
"We would never seek violence as an answer. We were just doing what we were told. That's what everyone needs to understand," Moreno added.
Moreno and Rojas both described Breed as "a second father."
According to Northside Independent School District officials, it was Breed who, referring to Watts, said: "That guy needs to pay for cheating us." To date, nobody from the school district has said Breed explicitly told the players to hit Watts. Breed has been placed on administrative leave for his conduct during the game.
Moreno and Watts also confirmed earlier reports that Watts used racist language during the game.
According to the accounts of four John Jay High School players and one person who was on the sideline that night, Watts called two players the N-word on separate occasions, once before the infamous hit and once after. Those accounts, provided to OTL last week, were corroborated by Moreno and Rojas during Friday's interview.
Rojas alleged that Watts at one point told a Hispanic player to "speak English, this is America." Moreno contends the ref used a racial slur directed at a black player. The teenager also said at the last moment he realized the gravity of what he was about to do and softened his blow on Watts.
"I pulled up a lot," Moreno said. "It was hard for me during the whole thing to actually do what I did. And to this day I regret it. It's one of my biggest regrets and it's been affecting my life greatly."
Watts has declined to comment. His New Jersey-based attorney, Alan Goldberger, however, has said in multiple interviews that Moreno and Rojas fabricated allegations that Watts used racist remarks during the game in order to make excuses for their own actions.
When reached by phone this past weekend, Goldberger said, "I'm not going to get into a media debate with these kids. Mr. Watts has denied he made any offensive remarks." Goldberger declined further comment.
Goldberger said that Watts has no prior history of complaints about his language during games and told OTL in an interview this week that it defies logic that Watts would use racist language, knowing the potential repercussions.
John Jay is predominantly a minority school. Marble Falls High, which hosted the game, is a predominantly white school northwest of Austin.
According to the player accounts provided to Outside the Lines, it wasn't Moreno or Rojas who first alerted John Jay coaches to the alleged racist remarks by Watts but rather quarterback Moses Reynolds and Hobdy.
In the fourth quarter, according to the accounts of two different John Jay players obtained by Outside the Lines, Reynolds ran the ball up the middle on a quarterback keeper and, after getting tackled, found himself on the receiving end of some trash talk from a Marble Falls player. According to the accounts of two players, Reynolds did not respond to the opposing player but instead turned to Watts, threw him the ball and said, "See, I'm not saying nothing."
Two John Jay players said Watts, apparently angry with the way Reynolds had thrown the ball to him, confronted Reynolds and said: "N-----, throw the f---ing ball at me again."
On the next possession, Reynolds was playing safety when a Marble Falls running back broke through the left side and wasn't tackled until he reached the John Jay secondary. Reynolds, who was tied up with a Marble Falls blocker, was not in on the tackle. While video of the play, reviewed by Outside the Lines, clearly shows the Marble Falls player striking Reynolds in the face mask at least twice, only Reynolds, who retaliated by pushing the opposing player's face mask, was ejected from the game by Watts.
When Reynolds came to the sideline, he told John Jay offensive coordinator Roy Garcia and Breed that he'd been called the N-word by Watts, according to a person on the John Jay sideline, who asked not to be identified because of the school district's investigation.
Later in the fourth quarter, when Watts heard John Jay senior defensive lineman Sammy Alvarado speaking Spanish, Watts reacted by saying, "We're in America, speak English," according to Rojas, who said Friday that he overheard the remark.
With the clock winding down and John Jay trailing 15-9, the video shows Rojas hitting a defenseless Watts from behind, knocking him down, followed by Moreno lowering his helmet and piling into Watts while he was on the ground. As Watts rose to his feet, he immediately confronted Hobdy.
"You can't see it on film but the ref was all up in his face, chest to chest," said a team source, who witnessed the exchange from the John Jay sideline.
As Watts confronted Howdy, he said, "Did you hit me?" according to one player's account of the exchange. Hobdy responded by saying: "You don't know who hit you," that same player said.
Watts questioned Hobdy again, asking, "Did you hit me, n-----?" according to the accounts of two John Jay players.
Hobdy was ejected from the game, even though he hadn't hit Watts, while Moreno remained in the game.
As Hobdy came to the sideline, visibly upset, he told offensive coordinator Garcia and defensive position coach Breed about Watts' use of the N-word, according to a source on the John Jay sidelines. That same source said John Jay head coach Gary Gutierrez was made aware of the racist language allegedly used by Watts.
"It burns me up on the inside," the source said, when asked about the impact Watts' alleged remarks had on the John Jay players.
"If the kids [Rojas and Moreno] would have never done anything, this wouldn't be an issue and he'd probably just go on making comments like that."

Rojas and Moreno, who were suspended from the team and the school, will attend Northside Alternative High School pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing conducted by the Northside ISD, and could also face assault charges.
Moreno, an honors student, and Rojas, who received John Jay's "Student of the Year" award as a Freshman, both said they understand they may never play football again but added that they are hopeful school officials will at least allow them to return to John Jay to complete their education.
"Education is my priority ... [I'm] missing out on so many opportunities, besides football, in the classroom and it's hard," Moreno said.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[InsideTheStripe]

Who hired that dumbass attorney?

[Nevadaref]

≡ Toggle the menu ✉ … Widget
Texas high school football coach reportedly admits to telling players to blindside ref
Business Insider
Emmett Knowlton 3 hours ago

(YouTube)
Mack Breed, an assistant football coach at John Jay High School in San Antonio, reportedly admitted to giving his players instructions to hit a referee in a game on September 4 — an incident that was caught on video that has since gone viral, ESPN's Outside the Lines reported today.

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From Outside the Lines:

In a signed statement detailing his interactions with the head coach after the game, John Jay High School principal Robert Harris says the team's secondary coach, Mack Breed, admitted he "directed the students to make the referee pay for his racial comments and calls."

While Breed insists that Robert Watts — the referee — used racial slurs at his players, and this led him to give his players the instructions, Watts and his lawyers have vehemently denied the claim.

In that same statement, Harris explained that Breed admitted to Gary Gutierrez, the team's head coach, that he'd given the players explicit instructions after Gutierrez told him that the two players in question had been kicked off the team. This admission reportedly happened on the team bus back from Marble Falls, and when they returned, Gutierrez relayed the information to Harris in a face-to-face meeting in the high school's parking lot.

From the statement:

"[Gutierrez] stated that Coach Breed initially asked him what was going to happen to the players during their ride home from the game. After Coach Gutierrez informed him that the players would be removed from the team, he informed Coach Gutierrez that he directed the players to strike the referee."

The next day, Breed and Harris met in Harris' office, and Breed confirmed what Gutierrez told him. From Harris' written statement:

"Coach Breed told me that he directed the students to make the referee pay for his racial comments and calls. He wanted to take full responsibility for his actions. Mr. Breed at one point during our conversation stated that he should have handled the referee himself."

Last week, Michael Moreno and Victor Rojas, the two players suspended from school and possibly facing criminal charges, appeared on "Good Morning America" and said that their coach told them to hit the ref.

Here's the play:





Both Moreno and Rojas will appear in a private hearing on Wednesday that will determine whether they will be found guilty of violating the Student Code of Conduct. As ESPN notes, the two have already been assigned to alternate schools and are prohibited from watching John Jay games as spectators.

Breed will appear in a separate private hearing on Thursday with the University Interscholastic League, and the governing body of Texas high school athletics could sanction Breed and John Jay's football program.

We have reached out to Breed, Watts, and the school district for comment.

Players ordered to hit ref can return to school next semester, lawyer says

John Barr, ESPN.com

Two Texas high school football players who hit a referee in a Sept. 4 game at the direction of the team's assistant coach will be eligible to return to their school for the spring semester, the players' lawyer told ESPN on Wednesday. The decision comes after individual hearings were held by the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio.

The two John Jay High School players, 15-year-old Victor Rojas and 17-year-old Michael Moreno, have been assigned to an alternative school and have been prohibited from even watching John Jay games as spectators. The punishment for the two teens, according to their attorney, Jesse Hernandez, is 75 days in the alternative school. With credit for time they have already spent there, the boys will be eligible to return to John Jay when the semester starts on Jan. 15.

"Obviously the boys wanted to return to John Jay High School immediately, but we think this punishment is within the bounds of fairness, and the boys have accepted responsibility for their actions," Hernandez said.

Northside ISD released a statement saying that two disciplinary hearings were held, one for each player, to address "violations of the Student Code of Conduct."

"Because both are minors and protected by the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), NISD cannot release any information about any consequences assigned at the hearings or confirm their names," the statement read.

Northside Independent School District officials, seen here Sept. 9, determined Wednesday that John Jay players Victor Rojas and Michael Moreno can return to the school next semester, but a hearing Thursday could lead to sanctions for the football program. AP Photo/Eric Gay
Moreno, a senior, is done with football at John Jay because he'll be in the alternative school for the balance of this semester. But Hernandez said nothing in Wednesday's ruling by a Northside Independent School District hearing officer prevents Rojas, a sophomore, from playing football next year.

That could change Thursday, when the University Interscholastic League meets in Round Rock, Texas. The UIL, the governing body of Texas high school athletics, could sanction Rojas; the assistant coach, Mack Breed; and John Jay's football program. Rojas could be suspended from football, and John Jay's season could be canceled.

The hearings come on the heels of an Outside the Lines report that Breed told John Jay principal Robert Harris that he ordered his players to hit the referee out of anger that the official used racist language, according to evidence obtained by OTL.

In a signed statement detailing his interactions with head coach Gary Gutierrez after the game, Harris said Breed, the team's secondary coach, admitted he "directed the students to make the referee pay for his racial comments and calls."

On Sept. 4, Rojas and Moreno blindsided official Robert Watts late in the fourth quarter of a game in Marble Falls, Texas, on a deliberate tackle from behind. The incident was captured on video and has nearly 11 million views on YouTube.

According to a sideline source and the accounts provided to Outside the Lines of four John Jay players, Watts used the N-word twice during the game, once before and once after the infamous hits, and also used language offensive to Hispanics.

Watts has declined to comment, but his attorney, Alan Goldberger, said Watts denies he used racist remarks of any kind.

Harris' statement detailed a meeting the day after the game, in which Breed admitted calling for the hit.

"I later met with Coach Breed at John Jay High School ... in my office in the presence of Coach Gutierrez," Harris wrote. "Coach Breed told me that he directed the students to make the referee pay for his racial comments and calls. He wanted to take full responsibility for his actions. Mr. Breed at one point during our conversation stated that he should have handled the referee himself."

Breed has declined to comment publicly about what he told his players. He is expected to attend the UIL's meeting on Thursday.

Had the students been found guilty of violating the Student Code of Conduct, the range of consequences could have ranged "from assignment to alternative school to expulsion," a school district spokesperson said.

[SCalScoreKeeper]

Absolutely disgraceful ruling by the school district-let's hope the UIL will act with a little more conviction in their actions towards these kids and that school.Would you work there now with this ruling?

[jTheUmp]

I'm ok with the kids being allowed back in the classroom. But neither of them should be allowed to play or attend sporting events for the rest of their high school careers.

The AC should be permanently banned from coaching at ANY level, and I'd be ok with a post-season ban for the school and a possible suspension of the HC.

[OKREF]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

I'm ok with the kids being allowed back in the classroom. But neither of them should be allowed to play or attend sporting events for the rest of their high school careers.

The AC should be permanently banned from coaching at ANY level, and I'd be ok with a post-season ban for the school and a possible suspension of the HC.

Well one is a senior, so he is done. The other is a sophomore, so he basically gets suspended for a half of a season.

[ajmc]

Regarding the nonsense about "racial slurs", which is directly from "the dog ate my homeword" strategy; what possible difference could/should that make?

Have the standards somehow been lowered that should anyone make a "comment" that another party may be offended by, it somehow justifies a premeditated, dangerous and obvious ASSAULT as an acceptable response?

Where will that logic lead to?

[SCalScoreKeeper]

Man what I wouldn't give to see that UIL hearing being streamed.That coach will most definitely be done-if not thru UIL sanction then common sense.What AD would hire this guy after this controversy?