An incident at an Ohio high school football practice is under investigation and may even be considered a hate crime.
A 17-year-old junior at McKinley High School was made to eat pork against his religious belief. The incident happened during a practice at the school on May 24, 2021. After missing practice due to an injury, the teen was seated in the middle of the gym. Head coach Marcus Wattley told the teen to eat the whole pizza, and if he didn't, his surrounding teammates would have to do more drills.
The teen reportedly told the coach several times that he could not eat the pepperoni pizza because of his faith.
The coach reportedly told the boy he could pick the pepperoni off, but he had to eat the pizza. The video shows the teen kicking the pizza box away from him at a point, just to have one of the coaches bring it right back. After he finished the pizza, the teen was forced to do extra drills outside.
Eight members of the high school football coaching staff, including the head coach, have been suspended pending an investigation.
"The incident calls into question whether appropriate team management, discipline, and player accountability infrastructures are in place," the district said in a statement.
The teen's family is outraged and is demanding more action be taken. They are considering legal action, as they believe their son's constitutional rights were violated.
"The family does not feel that this suspension is adequate. The school has not offered any counseling for the child. The child is devastated due to consuming the pork grease pizza and being degraded in front of the entire team," their attorney said in a statement.
This story was first published on LittleThings in 2021.
