Former coach in "forced splits" case won't face charges, DA says
DENVER -- The district attorney in Denver announced Saturday she will not file charges against a former gym coach who came under scrutiny after cheerleaders were seen on video being forced into doing painful splits during practice, CBS Denver reports.
Beth McCann said her office extensively reviewed the details of the case and settled on two key findings:
- Although a cellphone video from the cheerleading camp led by then-coach Ozell Williams in June sparked a national controversy, there were differing accounts of what actually happened that day.
- Opinions differ on the use of the training technique, which involves, in the East High case, the coach pushing the participants into a split position. It is sometimes known as "power stretching."
While she won't pursue charges, McCann made her feelings on the matter clear.
"The individual involved should not be a coach in high school sports and he no longer is," she said in a statement, referring to Williams, who was forced out of his position in late August.
"The principal and athletic director of the school have retired and resigned," she said. "The message should be clear that this type of technique has no place in high school cheerleading coaching. The bad judgment of the coach, however, does not constitute a prosecutable crime."
