Ex-Coach: Ending Central Bucks West Season Over Hazing Is An 'Overreaction'
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The coach who built a football dynasty at a suburban Philadelphia high school rocked by recent hazing allegations says canceling the rest of the season was an "overzealous, knee jerk, overreaction."
Former coach Mike Pettine Sr. said in a statement Wednesday the district unfairly punished the entire Central Bucks West student body, tarnishing the school's reputation nationwide.
He's calling for the ouster of board members who agreed with the move.
The district says the team engaged in "humiliating and inappropriate" pre-season rituals for rookies, including grabbing another player's genitals while fully clothed.
The 74-year-old Pettine, who coached the team to 327 wins from 1967-1999, says the district's swift reaction made the allegations seem criminal and threw "an irresponsible blanket of guilt over every player and coach connected with the program."
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