Coach of Texas HS players that struck official reaches plea deal
By Nick Cole
Published:
Remember that video from the ugly Texas high school football incident that dominated headlines back in September?
There is some news on the legal front of that case.
Mack Breed, the coach that was accused of instructing two of his players from John Jay High School to blindside the umpire on the field, has taken a plea deal.
Breed agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault, and according to the Associated Press, here is what his punishment will be:
Court-at-law Judge Linda Bayless sentenced Breed to 18 months of probation, fined him $1,500 and ordered him to serve 120 hours of community service and pay restitution to referee Robert Watts.
Breed also must forfeit his Texas teaching certificate permanently and attend anger management sessions, said Burnet County Attorney Eddie Arredondo.
The two players went on Good Morning America to plead their case back in September, claiming that the official used racial slurs that prompted the coach to tell them to tackle him as a means of revenge.
Breed denied that to be true, but did resign from the coaching staff later that month.
According to ESPN, the former coach’s attorney, James Reeves, had this to say on Monday following the agreement:
“Mack felt that he made a mistake that evening, and he felt the best thing for him to do was to take responsibility, put it behind him and move forward with his life.”
He was also quick to point this part of the agreement out:
“Under the terms of the guilty plea, Mack Breed did not admit he ordered the players to strike the official.”
The ESPN report says that both players were suspended by the school and will be eligible to return to the school on Jan. 15.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
