Stock image: Football resting on outdoor bench.Photo:Getty
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A high school football coach in Ohio has resigned after his team reportedly used antisemitic slurs as play calls during a recent game at a rival school.
Beachwood’s superintendent Robert Hardis told the newspaper that Brooklyn City players and McFarland were repeatedly using the word “Nazi” as defensive play calls. Hardis said Beachwood’s coach and athletic director threatened to pull the team out of the game during halftime.
According toCleveland Jewish News, the population of the opposing team’s town of Beachwood is close to 90% Jewish.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Hardis said the Brooklyn City players changed their calls, and McFarland promised he wouldn’t use the word “Nazi” in the second half. However, Hardis claimed that the players continued to use a different racial slur as the game continued, but did not reveal the specific word.
Brooklyn City Schools superintendent Theodore Caleris issued a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday announcing McFarland’s resignation.
“The Brooklyn City Schools accepted the resignation of Head Football Coach Tim McFarland on Monday morning, effective immediately, in light of an incident where the coaching staff used a designated play-call referencing the word “Nazi” at this past Friday night’s football game with Beachwood High School.”
Caleris' statement claimed the former head coach expressed “his deepest regret about the matter” and offered “his sincerest apologies” to the communities involved. “The Brooklyn City Schools echoes this regret, and apology as well,” the statement continued.
Caleris said in his statement that the school’s community “is choosing to learn from this matter, and hopefully, grow as a result.”
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The Anti-Defamation League of Cleveland had strong words following the incident.
In a Facebookpost, the organization said, “There is no room in sports for Holocaust references and racial slurs. Student athletes should be put in a position to best reflect their school’s commitment to inclusive, fair play.”
Beachwood Mayor Justin Berns issued a joint statement with the city council on Sunday, calling Brooklyn City’s behavior a violation of “the norms and expectations of conduct that should be taught to every student,” per theTimes’report.
source: people.com
