YardBarker- A high school football coach has found himself in hot water and could be facing criminal charges after a video surfaced that showed him punching one of his players in the stomach.
According to Tony Shin of NBC 4 in Los Angeles, Beaumont High School football coach Will Martin has been placed on administrative leave after an anonymous parent released the footage. The parent says Martin disciplines players by making them close their eyes, put their hands above their heads and take a punch from him in the gut. The parent who released the video says he or she was told Martin has done the same thing to dozens of players. Beaumont Unified School District has turned the footage over to police for investigation of potential criminal charges. Some players have defended the coach, with one parent saying she believes people are overreacting to the punch. “If it’s so bad, why are the kids laughing? Why are the kids thinking it’s funny?” Jessica Taylor, whose son plays for Martin, told NBC4. “I don’t see a problem with it. My son says there are drills where you get hit like that, and my son says, ‘Mom, it’s football.'” -------- I don't mean to be a wet blanket because I do think the culture of a sports' locker room can breed some traditions that the general public couldn't possibly understand. That said, I think we are going to have to abide by a pretty common rule of thumb here and declare that it's never a good idea to hit high schoolers whose health you've been entrusted with. Judging by the uproarious laughter, a vast majority of the team seems cool with the punishment by torso punch treatment, but - when you're technically using your authority to assault teenagers - all it takes is one uncomfortable kid and the camera lens on his cell phone to get you canned. Simply out, for every Mrs. Taylor that raised her son to have a strong core and a tough attitude there's going to be a Mrs. Anonymous that raised her son to have a weak spine and a loud mouth. That's why it's probably better to not deliver half-hearted uppercuts to the midsections of semi-developed children. I don't think it's worthy of criminal charges considering the context provided by the video, but it's definitely worthy of a county-wide search for a new, less controversial football coach. When the best excuse that can be made on your behalf is "if it's so bad, then why are the kids laughing?" then it's safe to say you're putting yourself at too much risk, because the collective moral compass of teenage boys who may or may not be succumbing to peer pressure is a pretty juvenile last line of defense. Not trying to be the fun police, but - if job security was my concern - I think would err on the side of disciplinary wind sprints as opposed to blows to the ribcage of defenseless receivers.
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