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John Jay Players Accuse Ref of Racial Slurs

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A.D. Ibarra

-San Antonio, Texas

 

Officials of the Northside Independent School District say that the two football players accused of ramming into a referee during their game against Marble Falls are alleging the referee directed racial slurs at them and their teammates.

A one-hour Outside the Lines report on ESPN brought the nation's awareness back to the issue on Monday after some results of the University Interscholastic League's investigation are becoming public.

Both players, Victor Rojas and Michael Moreno have since been placed in a Discipline Alternative Education Program and removed from the team and Assistant Coach Mack Breed, who allegedly suggested the retaliation has been suspended, however, the OTL piece has shed light on some of the back and forth of serious conversation that transpired on the field.

"This has been an embarrassment for the school, the UIL and the state of Texas," said UIL Committee member James Colbert of Houston.

Another member of the UIL Disciplinary Committee, Gil Garza said that tensions in the game between Jay and marble Falls included punches being thrown, late hits and ejections before the John Jay players did what over 10 million people have seen on YouTube.

"The only thing our kids really have is our coaches.  That's where the leadership starts," Garza said saying that it was only a matter of time before the atmosphere escalated into "a time-bomb waiting to happen.  And it did."

He also questioned the fact that the officials of the Texas Association of Sports Officials, could have done more to control the game.

"We don't have any reason to believe the actions of those young men are representative of that program or the student body of that school," said NISD Superintendent Brian Woods.

Ben Baby of the San Antonio Express News has been covering the story from the onset said on Outside the Lines that UIL is looking into racism on the part of Robert Watts, the referee who was targeted in this play also saying that UIL will meet on September 23rd to hand down a ruling on this case.

According to four players who were on the field, the official Robert Watts directed the "N" word to John Jay players.  After quarterback Moses Reynolds, who was later ejected from the game, threw the ball back at him saying, "See, I'm not saying nothing." Watts replied "N-----, throw that f---ing ball at me again."

After being hit by the players, Watts allegedly confronted another player saying, "Did you hit me?" according to one player's account to Jay player Trent Hobdy who replied, "You don't know what hit you."  Watts then replied, "Did you hit me n-----?"

Then when Watts heard senior defensive lineman Sammy Alvarado speaking Spanish, Watts allegedly reacted by saying, "We're in America, speak English."

The team has continued to show solidarity in the wake of this incident most recently by walking as opposed to running out from behind their breakthrough at last week's game vs Del Rio last week.

Media coverage of this game was greater than normal and reporters were asked to stay away from the team and remain at one end of the field, however, Principal Robert Harris and NISD Athletic Director Stan Laing did address the media after the game.

John Jay comes to Eagle Pass tomorrow at 7:30 PM to face the Eagle Pass Eagles in the Eagles' final non-district home game of the season at Cozel-Foster Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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