Assistant suspended on eve of hearing
Jay players involved say referee used racial slur toward them.
Four days after two John Jay High School football players knocked down and speared a game official, an assistant coach for the Mustangs was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday after Northside school district officials said he told players, “This guy needs to pay for cheating us.”
Mack Breed, 29, a former Jay quarterback who now coaches the team’s secondary, was suspended while school district officials continue to investigate why two Mustang players — senior Mike Moreno and sophomore Victor Rojas — struck umpire Robert Watts in the closing moments of Jay’s 15-9 road loss to Marble Falls on Friday night.
Northside Superintendent Brian Woods announced Breed’s suspension during a packed news conference in San Antonio.
On Wednesday morning in Round Rock, the University Interscholastic League’s state executive committee will
meet with Northside representatives and the coaches of both teams. The UIL committee has the authority to impose additional sanctions.
The UIL released a statement Tuesday that detailed some of the Northside school district’s findings as a result of an internal review.
“According to the district, the students involved allege that the official used a racial slur towards them, and a Jay High School assistant coach made comments that could have led the students to make improper contact with the official,” the UIL statement read. District officials have said they will file an official report to the Texas Association of Sports Officials regarding the racial slur allegations. TASO representatives are expected to be part of Wednesday’s hearing in Round Rock.
Watts has declined to comment on the incident. Video of it has gone viral,
and as of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 8 million people had viewed it on YouTube. In the video, Marble Falls
holds a 15-9 lead with about a minute to play when Moreno
makes a beeline for Watts and strikes him in the back. Seconds later, Rojas lowers his
helmet and hits Watts while he’s on the ground. Moreno and Rojas have been suspended from school, pending the outcome of Northside’s investigation.
On Monday, the Marble Falls Police Department began its own investigation. Sgt. Tom Dillard told the American-Statesman that Watts was interviewed after Friday’s game.
“I have spoken with the likely prosecuting attorney, who indicated that he would be receptive to filing charges if our investigation found them warranted,” Dillard said. “Our intentions are to conduc t this investigation over the next week or two, but there is no hard deadline that I can provide at this time.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Dillard said, Watts had not pressed charges.
TASO also released a statement Tuesday, describing the incident as “serious” and one warranting “a full and thorough investigation” by the UIL, which oversees athletic and academic competitions at more than 1,300 public high schools, and the Northside school district.