It feels like we’ve been experiencing more racist incidents in high school sports lately. Now we learn of a new incident, this time involving food.
It all happened this past weekend at a California high school boy’s championship basketball game between Coronado High School and Orange Glen High School. After Corondao won, 60-57, and shook hands with Orange Glen players, the drama began.
According to Orange Glen coaches, Coronado’s coach hurled profanities at the team and told them to get out of the gym. He called them losers as well.
“The [Coronado] head coach and the assistant coach came over to our bench and kind of said some words that were inappropriate and told us that we should take our kids and ‘get the F* out’ because we were a bunch of losers,” said Lizardo Reynoso, assistant coach for Orange Glen High School.
When Glen’s head coach approached their bench to check his profane behavior, the fireworks began.
“As we approached their bench, not physically, just kind of went over there with our choice of words, let them know how unclassy we felt that was and how disgusting, disrespectful it was to do that. Then, tortillas were being thrown in our direction,” said Orange Glen head coach Chris Featherly.
“That’s beyond disrespect, you’re going beyond,” he added.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, over 80% of the Orange Glen student body are Latino. Coronado’s student population is majority white.
Coronado’s head coach, J.D. Laaperi, took to Twitter to explain the incident and express his disapproval.
“Unfortunately a community member brought tortillas and distributed them which was unacceptable and racist in nature. I do not condone this behavior Coronado High School does not condone this behavior and is already taking appropriate action,” tweeted Laaperi.
Regardless of the action taken, the disrespect was already felt by the targeted players of Orange Glen.
“For it being my last game, I think it was pretty bad,” said Orange Glen player Christian Martinez. “You don’t want to go down with an ‘L’ but also the extra stuff like the tortillas and all the smack talking with the coaches. That was really disrespectful.”
The Coronado Unified School District Governing Board issued a letter to the Orange Glen community on Monday afternoon. They called it “egregious, demeaning and disrespectful.”
“We fully condemn the racism, classism, and colorism which fueled the actions of the perpetrators and fully support the statement by Superintendent Mueller released earlier this morning. On behalf of the CUSD School Board, we extend a full and formal apology to the Orange Glen High School athletes, known as the Patriots, as well as their peers, parents, teachers, and staff,” wrote the letter in part.
Local officials learned of the incident and expressed their disgust as well. Even the Coronado police department got involved. They posted their feelings on Facebook.
“We are extremely disturbed by the behavior of some of those attending last night’s basketball game. Their actions are completely unacceptable,” the Coronado Police Department’s Facebook post read, in part. “Coronado Unified School District has promised a full investigation into this incident.”
On Tuesday night, The Coronado Unified School District Board called an emergency board meeting. Despite his apology, they voted unanimously to fire Coach Laaperi.
They also said more punishments could be meted out as the investigation proceeds.
Wayne McKinney, Coronado’s team captain, apologized to the Orange Glen players and community on behalf of his team at the board meeting.
“Throwing those tortillas at a predominantly Latino school doesn’t look good but on my end, I do not believe we intended to make it about race. It was never about race,” McKinney said to NBC 7 after the meeting.
Pressure is being applied to the Coronado Unified School District Board by parents, officials and the media. Others, including Coronado parents, felt the board is rushing to judgment.
While the person who brought the tortillas to the game wasn’t named by the Board, the Coronado Police Department said yesterday that they know who did. They declined to identify that person.
The Board said that they need at least three weeks to complete their investigation. So more news is expected over the coming days and weeks.
We will keep you updated as more is learned.
