According to district officials, an assistant coach at John Jay High School in San Antonio has admitted he told two players to blindside a referee while playing a game against Marble Falls High School on Friday, September 4. But news of coach’s directive isn’t as surprising to those studying the changing ethics of the game.
NorthsideISD would not confirm the details of a meeting between the head coach, principal and accused assistant coach Mack Breed. But after receiving a letter from the principal, ESPN is reporting that during that late night meeting, Breed admitted he ordered players to hit the referee out of frustration for some of the official’s calls on the field and his alleged use of racial slurs.
Dr. Tolga Ozyurtcu teaches sports philosophy the University of Texas at Austin, and said he wasn’t surprised to see it reported that the coach ordered players to blindside the ref.
“The actions of kids on the field are almost always guided by the coaches above. And so when something that egregious happened and the news started to trickle out that it all came from the coach it started to make sense," Ozyurtcu said.
Ozyurtcu said it’s in human nature to want to win, but recent studies show that drive has been taken to new extremes both on and off the field.
While UIL officials say this incident isn’t a sign that the culture surrounding high school football has changed, Ozyurtcu disagrees.
“What’s kind of interesting to me in the UIL’s statement is there is this sense when things go wrong, it's because people are violating our sacred sports principles. But we have a tendency of not looking at the sports structures that may be leading to these behaviors," Ozyurtcu explained.
He points to research that shows how moral reasoning in student athletes over the last two decades has lessened when compared to non-athletic students.
Ozyurtcu said, "The theory is we take so much of their (athletes) responsibility away from them by making them worship the coaches."
Breed’s lawyer, San Antonio attorney James Reeves, did not respond to requests for an interview. But Breed, along with the other coaches that were there at the Marble Falls game, and the two players, Michael Moreno and Victor Rojas, are expected to speak at a second UIL investigative hearing this week.
Breed was placed on paid administrative leave immediately following the Sept. 4th game.
