"We know from many conversations, emails, and online posts that many people want action now, and we appreciate that sentiment. Like many coaches, hes leaving for another We have been in After the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) granted Kennedy a right-to-sue letter following charges of religious discrimination, First Liberty filed a lawsuit against the district. CITRUS COUNTY, fla A Citrus County high school student is dead after collapsing during football practice, according to the school district. racist or sexually-oriented language. "In a statement that I prepared for him, I told him, 'I'm not doing this out of disrespect. The affluent coastal community about 30 miles south of Boston has nearly 16,000 residents, according to the Census Bureau. Lovebugs in Florida: How do I get them off my car? 1624 N. Meadowcrest Blvd. The Citrus county community came together for a vigil Friday to honor 16-year-old Antonio Hicks. While Clement said the record is clear that Coach Kennedy was fired, the schools attorneys contend that the coach was placed on paid leave and never applied to renew his one-year contract. 21-418 in the Supreme Court of the United States. "This is really a pretty nice town and our hope is to make this a more diverse and inclusive place," said Bruce Rutter of Duxbury For All. You look at IMG and this is the most talented prep team in the country, ESPN announcer Anish Shroff said during the second quarter of Sundays game. However, the attorney arguing on behalf of the school district Richard Katskee of Americans United for Separation of Church and State said the school system had other reasons for acting in connection with Kennedys prayers, including concerns about students feeling coerced and even about safety after spectators rushed the field after one game, with some students being knocked to the ground. But Kavanaugh an avid sports fan who has coached his daughters basketball team seemed genuinely troubled by the predicament of young team members who might feel they were being subtly or not-so-subtly encouraged by Kennedy to join in the on-field prayer. However, we are still in the middle of an active investigation and it is important that we get accurate information and facts in this case," the statement said. Is that true? But in his case, its more of a higher calling. The case has taken several years since 2015 to be accepted by the highest court in the United States, and will require the justices to look at three parts of the First Amendment and how they pertain to public employees. "I havent read it, so I dont have a comment," Bishop said. Massachusetts high school football is being played in the spring this year because the coronavirus pandemic caused postponement of the fall season. CANTON, Ohio (AP) The head football coach at an Ohio high school and six other coaches there have been ousted after a football player said he was forced him to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs for missing a voluntary workout. CRYSTAL RIVER - Ron Cline was fired Wednesday as Citrus High School head football coach, and many people in the community, including several Citrus County School Board members, are wondering why. During Sundays broadcast, ESPN announcers claimed Bishop Sycamore led them to believe its roster contained multiple Division I prospects, which quickly proved to be untrue during its game against IMG. accounts, the history behind an article. If we didnt have the things go on, we could have done better. person will not be tolerated. Mainly clear skies. person will not be tolerated. At first he prayed on his own, but eventually some players voluntarily joined him, occasionally including players from other teams. Hesaid: Six years away from the football field has been far too long. In response, the school has "severed ties" with head coach Dave Maimaron and canceled this Friday's game against Hingham, said the statement, signed by four members of the administration, including district Superintendent John Antonucci. Peter Pattakos, an attorney retained by Wattley, said details of the events were exaggerated and parts are false. "You try and find a basketball coach or football coach who teaches 16 and 17-year-old kids and hasn't cursed. Thats not coercion that counts under the Establishment Clause.. Panio did not deny that DiCarlo used profanity but said Eastchester's sideline was no different than any other. While the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2019, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh said in a statement that the Ninth Circuits reasoning was troubling and that the Court would likely take the case if lower courts could first answer whether Kennedy had been fired because of his religion. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Eastchester fires football, basketball coach Fred DiCarlo, Josh Thomson, Rockland/Westchester Journal News, Football: Eastchester sets season in the right direction with a 'program game', Football: In dominant finish, Somers begins to realize its promise, Eastchester fires football, basketball coach Fred DiCarlo, A Towering, Terrifying Demon Horse Isnt Even the Weirdest Part, Man who lost wife, son in Texas mass shooting tells story, Gwyneth Paltrow won't recoup attorney fees in ski crash suit, 'Zombie' misinformation: 'Rape Day' hoax resurfaces on TikTok, 'Very homophobic': Teachers' union leader Randi Weingarten says House hearing crossed the line, $2M settlement reached in death of Colorado jail inmate who had developmental disabilities, Americans fault news media for dividing nation: AP-NORC poll, Des Moines bar owners to be sentenced for stalking. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Justice Elena Kagan said the school districts failure to directly mention coercion concerns at the time of Kennedys suspension didnt mean the justices should simply ignore that factor. The announcement came the day after Robert Trestan, president of the New England Anti-Defamation League, called for an independent investigation. More:Football: Eastchester sets season in the right direction with a 'program game', More:Football: In dominant finish, Somers begins to realize its promise. According to assistant football coach Tony Panio and several other members of the community, DiCarlo was informed in a letter from the district late last month that he was under investigation. Cline said he is open to any opportunity, either as an assistant within Citrus County or a head coach elsewhere, as long as his family was stable. However, Kavanaugh said there were all kinds of non-religious activities a coach might take part in or organize that could produce similar coercion and he appeared to suggest that there is no way to control such implicit pressure. You can follow her onTwitter. It was unclear who will replace DiCarlo as coach. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. You're not going to find one. Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. Citrus High head football coach Nate Varnadore announced his resignation on Monday, ending his two-year tenure with the program. Principal Laura Mason released a statement on Twitter. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. If you call that coercion, you are making an important category mistake, the former solicitor general under President George W. Bush said. Cline was 10-1 and 7-4 in two seasons with the Hurricanes. Web50-9 (L) Citrus @ River Ridge On 10/21, the Citrus varsity football team lost their away conference game against River Ridge (New Port Richey, FL) by a score of 50-9. Plymouth school officials alerted Duxbury about the matter. Franklin confirmed with SBLive Sports Florida that he has stepped down from his position as head coach and The Citrus Heights City Council voted earlier this month to officially oppose proposed state legislation aimed at preventing the use of police K-9s for arrest or crowd control. All of his hard work had payed off extremely well with a record of 9 wins and 1 loss. I heard that Coach OB was not allowed to have any interaction with our kids at this point. "When someone says 'Auschwitz,' I don't think these young people understand how harmful and hurtful that is to people that are Jewish.". 00:01. 00:54. "We're sorry to see him go.". Joe Kennedy, a former assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Wash., poses for a photo March 9, 2022, at the school's football field. Your talks with students may not include religious expression, including prayer. Head Coach McKinley Franklin; Initial value. You have permission to edit this article. Please enter valid email address to continue. Thank you for reading! OBrien did not respond to a text seeking comment. There was a problem saving your notification. I dont know how to deal with that, frankly, he said. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Kagan and Sotomayor appeared to disagree and framed their concerns not just as a question of the religious rights of public school students but of parents ability to dictate their childrens religious practice. As of Wednesday evening, the petition had generated 1,635 signatures and its stated goal had been raised from 1,500 to 2,500. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo. Why take that from our kids?[sad]. A federal court dismissed the lawsuit, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit widely considered the most liberal federal appeals court ruled against Kennedy, saying he was praying as a public employee and risked violating the Establishment Clause. In a move that shocked colleagues and members of the community, Eastchester varsity football and boys basketball coach Fred DiCarlo was fired from both positions Wednesday. I was very impressed with him stepping in and getting the program back on its feet., Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week. Lets say he says the Our Father with arms outstretched and it starts causing a lot of havoc in the stands Band members were being rushed, the head coach feared for his life? Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked, alluding to one of the school districts arguments. Kennedy asserted that the school district violated the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Dave Maimaron, the Duxbury High School head coach, was fired over players use of anti-Semitic terms as play calls. "There's more to it than wins and losses.". They want a good environment and they want the home team to win. The teen would have been subjected to additional drills and his status on the team might have been jeopardized if he had not followed Wattleys order, Gilbert said. I've had teachers, parents and students calling and they're saying, 'Why?' "They were trying to find any excuse they can," Panio argued. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. 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Ted S. Warren/AP Photo. "The fact that members of our school community used such offensive language, including anti-Semitic language, is horrifying and disappointing.". Sotomayor took it a step further to make a point about when a school district may have the authority to step in. He called the language "careless, unnecessary and most importantly hurtful on its face - inexcusable.". Use the 'Report' link on "Not one email, not one question, not one phone call from, hypothetically, the guy who would know him best," said Panio, who is a teacher in the Bronx. Its just a different job title. WSW winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. He did, however, question why the petition was asking the school to rehire OBrien when OBrien resigned. Be Nice. We are grateful the Supreme Court has agreed to review Coach Kennedys case. Also in the section of the page called "Reasons for signing," the first two comments that appear are from two prominent Citrus football players, both in support of OBrien. However, when the word got out that coach OBrien was no longer apart of the Citrus High School football program, the question that no one was able to find the answer to was, why?, "Ultimately, Citrus County hasnt seen this good of a program in years, and once our team finally starts to succeed and climb up the rankings, it is all stripped away for a reason that is unknown to most. A decision about subsequent games will be made later, CBS Boston reports. Petition calls for Citrus coach to be rehired, 1624 N. Meadowcrest Blvd. Parents found this communication disgusting and reported to the media about the sensual exercise practice in Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. He holds himself accountable and he holds them accountable.". that is degrading to another person. He was ordered to sit in the middle of the gym and eat an entire pepperoni pizza, Gilbert said. It found the coach had been negative toward athletes, berated them and used profanity in their presence. He was constantly working hard with the other assistant coaches to make sure that the team would continue to grow and succeed. If someone comes up and says thats part of my religion, could the school say no to them? she asked, prompting several justices to pile on, adding more hypotheticals during the arguments, which extended for almost 50 minutes beyond the allotted one hour. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. 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Unfortunately for principals and athletic directors, the task of firing an individual comes with the job description. This case has massive implications for religious liberty for millions of Americans, and we are hopeful the Court will correct the injustice that occurred here, Berry said. But the justices left doubt Monday about whether they will issue a sweeping ruling backing the religious-freedom rights of school employees or a more narrow decision confined to the unusual facts of the case from Washington state. I've heard some teachers, students and booster members are all signing petitions, but I haven't seen any. DeSantis and King George III have in common | Column, Pasco motorcyclist: I couldnt live with myself knowing what I had done, Palm Harbor delicatessen collects hundreds of bikes for underprivileged kids, Florida adds 6,659 coronavirus cases, 98 deaths Monday, Florida adds 7,363 coronavirus cases, 59 deaths Sunday. When it becomes necessary to terminate a coach, Crystal River High football coach and athletic director Earl Bramlett said that he felt bad for Cline and his family, but that he could not speculate on why he was fired. I am asking that all Leesburg high school football fans say a prayer for the citrus high school football team, student body and the family of the player that died tonight after collapsing at practice. Late Wednesday afternoon, the Citrus School District informed 8 On Your Side that students from Citrus High School are planning a vigil for later in the week. Low 66F. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week. However, under the new point system implemented by the FHSAA that season, Citrus failed to make the playoffs. Youre requiring a lot of this school board to try to figure out exactly which box in the Establishment Clause to put this in, Kagan told Kennedys lawyer, Paul Clement. Don't Threaten. March 25, 2021 / 7:51 AM Bishop Sycamore also is scheduled to play big-time programs Duncanville (Kentucky) and St. Thomas More (Connecticut) this season. A lawyer for the teen players family has announced plans to sue the school district. "Based on information given to me by Mr. Staten as to valid reasons or justification, I made a decision (Wednesday) morning not to resign. Several high school football coaches in Ohio were ousted after a 17-year-old said he was forced to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs. At this time I feel that the justification was not concrete enough for me to resign."' I value him as a person, but I just thought right now he needed to step down, he needed to go, Peterson told USA Today.
