ESPN -- Coach admitted to principal that he ordered hits on ref

From Hot Air:

It appears that the Texas high-school football players involved in a vicious hit on a defenseless game official told the truth, at least in part. The assistant coach fingered by the two players actually admitted his role in directing players to attack the referee almost immediately afterward to the head coach, and then the next day to the principal.
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It’s interesting in an odd way that Breed stepped up so quickly to admit his role in the attack to his coach and principal. He’s been conspicuously silent about it ever since the story went viral, though. Perhaps Breed got some legal advice between September 5th and when the national news media picked up the story, but if so, it may have come a little late. He’s now created two witnesses apart from the players to an admission that will make it difficult to come up with a less-incriminating story.

If the referee plans to pursue criminal charges, these statements make Breed the natural target for prosecutors. That might be good news for Moreno and Rojas, who can then cut deals to testify against Breed. It also is good news for Robert Watts, the victim of the attack, as it makes the school even more liable for the actions of a paid employee, assuming – and it’s all but certain, right? – that Watts wants to sue for damages.

Since two players made a coordinated tackle on the ref, it seemed pretty obvious the players were instructed by a coach to do it. So they question for the School District, what is their liability. They will have to write a decent sized check to make it go away. They do not want this to go to trial.

If I were the ref, I would demand as part of the settlement a public apology from the coach and school district clearing my name regarding the accusation of racial epithets. That is a statement that will follow him around, if it is not cleared up. It also add a zero to the settlement check that the school district will have to write.

As for the coach, lifetime ban from coach any sport at any level. Instructing players to attack a ref is the worst example of poor sportsmanship I can think of.