Antioch High Baseball Coaches Accused Of Drinking On Campus, Placed On Leave
ANTIOCH (KPIX 5) -- Baseball coaches at a school in Antioch have been placed on unpaid administrative leave, over allegations they set a bad example in front of students.
Antioch High School benched five coaches, including varsity coach Ben Juarez, after parents said their children saw coaches drinking alcohol in plain sight of players on campus.
"Showing that drinking is okay to the students, basically," said Alondra Sanchez, a senior at Antioch High. "So they're gonna like go out there and drink like their coaches."
The Antioch Unified School District refused to talk on camera about the allegations.
In a phone interview with KPIX 5, a district spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the drinking accusation. He said the alleged misconduct happened back in July during team tryouts.
The district said they learned about the allegation last week and would not say why it took them so long to find out.
Parents told KPIX 5 on Friday that they are outraged over the allegations. Mari, who did not give her last name, said, "It's just not right. It's not a good representation of the school."
"If they look up to them, they're their coach. They're supposed to be leaders in the community for the kids. If they're doing that, then it's going to make it easier and more acceptable for them to try it," said parent Antoinnette Schaefer.
The district has launched an investigation into the accusations. In the meantime, the school appointed a junior varsity coach as the interim varsity head coach.
The school's principal said alumnus Aaron Miles, who played in the Major Leagues, has offered to help out the baseball program.