Eight football coaches at an Ohio high school have been suspended from their coaching duties after a player said he was forced to eat pork in violation of his religious beliefs
Attorney Ed Gilbert said Tuesday that the teen and his family are members of the Hebrew Israeli religious faith and do not eat pork.
The teen, who skipped a voluntary workout four days earlier while nursing a sore shoulder, was ordered to sit in the middle of the gym and eat an entire pepperoni pizza, Gilbert said. He was allowed to remove the pepperoni and some of the cheese, but pork residue remained, Gilbert said.
The teen would have been subjected to additional drills and his status on the team might have been jeopardized if he had not followed Wattley’s order, Gilbert said.
Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert announced the suspension of the coaches last week. He declined to comment about the allegations made Tuesday by Gilbert and the teen’s family.
