tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55890802937319768682024-03-13T09:08:28.546-07:00Bears Junior All American FootballA commentary and opinion source for parents, administrators, and coaches involved in youth football.Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-5980653089968322032016-02-24T14:48:00.001-08:002016-02-24T14:48:39.761-08:00Pop Warner Treasurer Arrested for Stealing $100Khttp://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Vista-Pop-Warner-Arrest-Theft-San-Diego-369989321.html<br />
<br />
<div>
A Vista woman was arrested Wednesday, accused of a theft that left the local Pop Warner program “crippled” organizers said.</div>
<div>
<br />
Rachel Owens, 41, served as the treasurer for Vista Pop Warner Football and Cheer from October 2013 to November 2015.<br />
<br />
Owens now faces 3 counts of identity theft and 22 counts of grand theft after San Diego County Sheriff’s detectives say Owens allegedly stole more than $100,000 from the accounts she managed.</div>
<div>
Owens was arrested Wednesday morning and booked into the Vista Detention Facility on $300,000 bail. The status of her securing an attorney is unknown.</div>
<div>
Vista Pop Warner is asking for donations to survive what it described as a “huge misappropriation of funds at the hands of a former board member.” The thefts total more than $90,000. NBC 7's Vanessa Herrera reports.</div>
<div>
<br />
She was taken into custody at Guajome Park Academy where she works as a math teacher.</div>
<div>
<br />
“She was not arrested in a classroom, she was not arrested in front of children,” said Lt. Greg Rylaarsdam with the Cyber Financial Crimes Unit. “Our design was to go there and do this as low-key as possible.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
The superintendent described Owens as a non-permanent teacher on probation. She is on administrative leave.</div>
<div>
<br />
Rylaarsdam said it appears Owens moved money around between several bank accounts.</div>
<div>
"We're trying to get money back if we can get money back," he added. "Anything that we could possibly recover would go to a good use."</div>
<div>
<br />
Vista Pop Warner has had to reach out to the public to ask for donations to survive what it described as a “huge misappropriation of funds at the hands of a former board member.”</div>
<div>
A statement from the youth football league claims, "The loss of funds has crippled the organization."</div>
<div>
The league believes the theft began in March 2014 and continued through late Fall 2015.</div>
<div>
In order to continue operations, VPW said it needs donations to pay back creditors owed.</div>
<br />
<div>
Rylaarsdam said the league cooperation and their records helped detectives make an arrest in such a short amount of time.<br />
<br />
He added that detectives were looking into the possibilty that there may be other victims.</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-9802101450230096782014-07-22T09:56:00.002-07:002014-07-22T09:56:13.955-07:00High School Football Must Limit Contact<a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-high-school-football-20140722-story.html">http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-high-school-football-20140722-story.html</a>Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-51982700975295064132014-07-19T09:33:00.000-07:002014-07-19T09:33:33.967-07:00More examples of Pop Warner destroying youth footballAnd now Pop Warner has failed the community of Canyon Hills (Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills).<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
https://www.facebook.com/CanyonHillsPopWarnerFinancialTransparency</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-38430647853390105962014-03-14T10:45:00.002-07:002014-03-14T10:45:19.543-07:00Little League Background Checks <a href="http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2014/03/manuel_ramos_baseball.php">http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2014/03/manuel_ramos_baseball.php</a>Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-28755634989449529042012-12-28T11:16:00.001-08:002012-12-28T11:16:20.040-08:00Pop Warner Wouldn't Like Pop WarnerPublished: Oct. 23, 2012 Updated: Oct. 24, 2012 7:41 a.m.
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mickadeit: Pop Warner wouldn't like Pop Warner</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By FRANK MICKADEITCOLUMNIST / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Lots of guys can say they played in Pop Warner. Julian Ertz might be the
only guy still around who can say he played for Pop Warner.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
In the late 1930s, Ertz was a reserve fullback at Temple University, where
the legendary Glenn "Pop" Warner ended his career.<br /> <br />As such, Ertz, 93,
believes he can say without qualification that Pop Warner would be mortified to
learn that men who coach kids in the program that bears his name allegedly paid
players to injure other players.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Ertz rang me up after reading the Pop Warner bounty scandal articles by
Keith Sharon and me. Could Ertz actually be the last person alive who played for
Pop Warner?</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
There's no easy way to know for sure, but he played on Pop Warner's last
team, the 1938 Temple Owls, and he knows of no other living Pop Warner
player.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I know that from the way he conducted himself, that in no way would he
have wanted one of his players to hurt another player," Ertz told me during my
visit to his home in Laguna Woods last weekend. "A 'gentleman' is the way I
would describe him." A College Football Hall of Fame site quotes a Warner
mantra: "You cannot play two kinds of football at once, dirty and good."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Warner was already a legend by the time he got to Temple in 1933. He had
already led three national championship teams at Pitt, coached Jim Thorpe at
Carlisle, invented the screen pass and, oh, yeah, lent his name to a youth
football program.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
He also had invented shoulder pads – U.S. Patent No. 1,887,473 bears his
name – and thigh pads which, ironically, a Tustin Pop Warner team allegedly
altered to get a player in under the weight limit.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Ertz, by contrast, was just a 19-year-old kid from western Pennsylvania
when he matriculated at Temple in Philadelphia in the fall of 1938. Warner had
difficulty walking, Ertz recalls, so he stood on a raised platform on the
sidelines and watched practices.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"On each play, he knew what all 22 players had done. He'd point and say
very softly, 'OK, so-and-so, you didn't do this. And so-and-so, you didn't do
that.' He never gave you hell in front of the other players, he was always
analyzing."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Ertz doesn't overplay his role on the team. He was beaten out for starting
fullback by a guy named Jim Honochick, who later became a Major League Baseball
umpire. Nor does he claim Pop Warner was without vice. "He always had cigarette.
He'd finish one and use it to light the next."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
(Ertz had his own vice of sorts at Temple – he sneaked off for music
lessons that he never told his teammates about.)</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Warner was big on school. "Pop would softly say, 'Be sure to go to class
and get good grades. ... You're here to get an education.'"</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
That Ertz did, receiving a degree in business. After serving as a B-24
navigator in World War II, he went to law school at the University of New
Mexico. He practiced in Albuquerque for a while, then moved to Orange County,
where he practiced some 30 years.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The scholarship side of football that Pop Warner embodied was not lost on
Ertz. In O.C., he was a charter member and ultimately president of the local
chapter of the National Football Foundation, which each year honors high school
football scholar-athletes.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
What does he think of the bounty allegations besmirching the Pop Warner
name? "Terrible. Awful. If I were a parent and I had any choice, I'd see (the
offending coaches) never got to work with the kids again."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mickadeit writes Mon.-Fri. Contact him at 714-796-4994 or <a href="mailto:fmickadeit@ocregister.com">fmickadeit@ocregister.com</a>.</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-57595392687219736802012-11-10T07:02:00.000-08:002012-11-10T07:02:02.275-08:00Pop Warner At It AgainPublished: Nov. 9, 2012 Updated: 10:03 p.m.
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mickadeit: Pop Warner clears itself</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By FRANK MICKADEIT</div>
<br />
<div>
COLUMNIST / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
I'm disappointed national Pop Warner didn't find that a bounty program
existed in Tustin, but I can't say I'm surprised. What did you expect? Pop
Warner would say, "Yes, our coaches in Orange County conducted a bounty program
in which players were paid when they knocked other players out of the game.
Parents, please file your lawsuits against us accordingly."?<br /> <br />It doesn't
work like that. There are investigations and there are independent
investigations.<br /> <br />National Pop Warner's investigation into the Tustin Pop
Warner was conducted by an 800-lawyer international law firm that defends Pop
Warner in lawsuits. An independent investigation would have been conducted by a
law firm or private investigator with no previous ties to Pop Warner and that
was instructed to release its own report directly to the public about whatever
it found.<br /> <br />This is not to impugn Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman &
Dicker LLP, or its L.A.-based attorney, Ian Stewart, who conducted the
investigation. Wilson Elser has a fiduciary duty to be a zealous advocate for
Pop Warner. The law firm can't lie, but it has no obligation to tell the public
what it found and, in fact, it could be guilty of malpractice and face
discipline if it did.<br /> <br />Given that, what the law firm conducted looks more
like a series of prelitigation depositions than an investigation designed to
tell the public anything useful.<br /> <br />Josh Pruce, the national Pop Warner
spokesman, told me Friday that Wilson Elser was selected because "they have
knowledge of how Pop Warner works." But how can the firm can be impartial when
it is looking out for your best interests? I asked. Pruce replied: "I can't
speak to that either way. I don't have a comment."<br /> <br />So, we'll probably
never know what Stewart's investigation said, exactly, and why and how Pop
Warner came to the conclusions it did about what it showed.<br /> <br />All we know
about Stewart's investigation is what National Pop Warner released on Friday, a
statement that condensed it to two sentences: "The investigation concluded that
there was no pay-for-hits program or premeditated bounty system. The
investigation did conclude, however, that one player may have been rewarded for
his performance in one game."<br /> <br />Keith Sharon and I know what four players
and two assistant coaches told us – the head coach and the defensive coordinator
offered money for big hits and more money if those hits resulted in an opponent
being knocked out of a game.<br /> <br />We know our sources talked to Stewart. As
Keith pointed out Friday in the newsroom, there were fewer people who told the
NFL about the New Orleans Saints.<br /> <br />Maybe the Tustin players and coaches
told Stewart a different story than they told us. Maybe Stewart or Pop Warner
concluded they lied or misunderstood and decided to believe the coaches who say
no such offers were made. Did he believe some people and not others? Who?
Why?<br /> <br />But Pop Warner would not discuss the evidence it collected or
release transcripts or even summaries of the interviews. Stewart had not called
me back as of my deadline Friday afternoon.<br /> <br />Still, some inferences can
be drawn from what Pop Warner did do.<br /> <br />It suspended the entire coaching
staff of seven for a full year. If just one player "may have been rewarded for
his performance in one game," that seems like a rather Draconian penalty,
doesn't it?<br /> <br />Pop Warner's statement says, "We hope members nationwide
will learn from this incident and be reminded that the focus should always be on
the safety and well being of our young athletes."<br /> <br />Pop Warner, however,
doesn't link the player's "performance" or the "reward" for it with the "safety
and well being" of players. How, specifically, does rewarding players make the
game less safe? How did it do so in this case? To draw that causal connection
would come dangerously close to admitting legal liability.<br /> <br />Reading
between the lines, my best guess is that this was the best way out of a bad
situation. Don't concede liability. But get rid of the bad actors for as long as
you can and hope they stay away.<br /> <br />The most important question is: Has Pop
Warner done everything it can to protect kids? Without knowing what people told
Stewart, we can't know. All we know for sure is that by hiring a top-drawer law
firm to conduct an investigation into its own actions, Pop Warner did everything
it can to protect itself.<br /> <br />Mickadeit usually writes Mon.-Fri. Contact:
714-796-4994 or <a href="mailto:fmickadeit@ocregister.com">fmickadeit@ocregister.com</a></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-91435937138303804502012-11-10T06:57:00.002-08:002012-11-10T06:57:21.331-08:00Pop Warner Suspends Coaches<strong>
</strong><br />
<div>
<br />Published: Nov. 9, 2012 Updated: 10:08 p.m. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Pop Warner suspends coaches, denies bounties</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By KEITH SHARON / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The entire coaching staff of the 2011 Tustin Red Cobras Junior Pee Wee
football team has been suspended for one year, but a monthlong investigation by
National Pop Warner ended Friday with the conclusion that though one payment
"may have" been made to a player, there was no evidence of a broader bounty
program.<br /> <br />Friday's report, which is the culmination of an investigation
conducted by an attorney who represents Pop Warner in lawsuits, disregarded the
statements of several parents who testified that Tustin coaches targeted
opponents, offered their 10- and 11-year-old players cash for hard tackles, and
offered more cash for knocking those targeted players out of the game.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Darren Crawford, who coached the 2011 Tustin Red Cobras Pop Warner football
team, was suspended along with the rest of the team's coaching staff for a year.
The suspensions came after Pop Warner's national organization concluded a
monthlong investigation into allegations that the coaches paid players for big
hits and to hurt other youth players. The investigation concluded that no bounty
program took place, but at least one instance of a payer being paid for
performance may have taken place.<br /> <br />"The investigation concluded that
there was no pay-for-hits program or premeditated bounty system," said Jon
Butler, Executive Director, Pop Warner Little Scholars in an emailed statement.
"The investigation did conclude, however, that one player may have been rewarded
for his performance in one game."<br /> <br />Butler's statement explained that
since rewarding players for performance is against Pop Warner rules, all the
coaches bear responsibility for the violation.<br /> <br />Former Red Cobra head
coach Darren Crawford, former assistant coach Richard Bowman, former league
President Pat Galentine and four other former assistant coaches will be unable
to hold positions as coaches or administrators in Pop Warner football for one
year. Included in that suspended group are former offensive line coach John
Zanelli and equipment manager Paul Bunkers, two of the parents who made the
allegations.<br /> <br />Seven families – all of which were represented in
interviews with National Pop Warner investigators – have told The Register that
coaches Darren Crawford and Richard Bowman offered cash to their 10- and
11-year-old players for big hits during three playoff games during the 2011
season. Crawford, Bowman and Galentine have said no cash was ever
offered.<br /> <br />Crawford and Bowman did not return phone calls Friday.
Galentine hung up when he was asked to comment about the
suspensions.<br /> <br />The ruling confused the parents who made the
allegations.<br /> <br />"It's like trying to argue that someone is half pregnant,"
said John Zanelli, the former Red Cobras offensive line coach, who was the most
outspoken critic of Crawford and Bowman. "I think Pop Warner tried to split the
difference in order to limit their (legal) exposure and still try to sound
credible. This decision was a cop out.<br /> <br />"If there was no pay-for-hits
program, then what was the player rewarded for? The best smile? Best attitude?
Best dressed? Was he rewarded with cookies or cash? If there was no
'premeditated' bounty program, was it then a hindsight bounty program as we now
know it to be?<br /> <br />"If one player 'may' have been rewarded, then why suspend
the coaches? Was he rewarded or not? Are all of these parents and kids lying?
Who's left to protect the kids if Pop Warner puts its own
first?"<br /> <br />Bunkers said: "It's a joke. Either it happened or it didn't. If
nothing happened, why are you suspending people? It's stupid."<br /> <br />National
Pop Warner spokesman Josh Pruce refused to answer questions about the testimony
saying it was confidential and no transcript would be released.<br /> <br />But the
conclusion is clear: The investigators did not find enough credibility among the
parents and players who said multiple players were offered cash in multiple
games. Pruce said he would not answer the question: Did the parents who made the
allegations lie?<br /> <br />"They had a predetermined outcome," Zanelli said of the
investigators.<br /> <br />The Tustin Pop Warner board of directors released a
statement Friday. In part, it said:<br /> <br />"Tustin Pop Warner is pleased to
learn that an in-depth investigation completed by National Pop Warner concluded
that there was no pay-for-hits program or premeditated bounty system at our
League, or any evidence that Tustin demonstrated a lack of institutional control
and responsibility ... We are disappointed that National Pop Warner has chosen
to suspend members of our dedicated volunteer coaching staff, which includes Pat
Galentine. National Pop Warner has advised us that Pat will not be permitted to
resume his duties as president of our League during the term of the suspensions.
We are saddened by this decision and want to express our appreciation to Pat for
his service to the League."<br /> <br />The Orange County Register broke the story
of the bounty program on Sept. 23 after four parents and four players confirmed
Tustin coaches had targeted opponents, offered cash for big hits and offered
more cash for knocking those targeted players out of three playoff games in the
2011 season.<br /> <br />In on of those games, a running back from Santa Margarita
suffered a mild concussion, was knocked out of the game and a bounty was paid,
Zanelli said.<br /> <br />In total, The Register contacted (some via email or
written statement) 12 parents of the 22 Tustin Red Cobras players – seven
parents said coaches offered money for hits, five parents said no such payoffs
were offered. Four players contacted by the Register (one was through a written
statement) said the coaches offered money for big hits.<br /> <br />The allegations
didn't surface until long after the 2011 season, in which the Red Cobras
qualified for the Pop Warner Super Bowl tournament in Florida before losing in
the semifinals.<br /> <br />In May of 2012, one of the Red Cobras' players saw a
report about the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal on television (Saints coaches
were accused of offering money for taking opponents out of games, and several
coaches and players have been suspended). The player told his father that the
Red Cobras had used a similar incentive system during the playoff games of
2011.<br /> <br />That father (who is not being named to protect the identity of his
son) called several Red Cobras parents, including John Zanelli, who was the Red
Cobras' offensive line coach. Zanelli was in the midst of a battle with Tustin
Pop Warner because he was the most outspoken of a group of parents trying to
form a new team with seven of the Red Cobras' players.<br /> <br />The battle over
the new team was ugly. Zanelli received a lifetime ban from Pop Warner after a
confrontation with Tustin President Pat Galentine. Zanelli made allegations that
Tustin coaches had cheated by allowing an overweight player to participate in
several games. He made several other allegations that did not include the bounty
program.<br /> <br />When the father asked the embattled Zanelli if Tustin coaches
had paid money for big hits, Zanelli said yes. Zanelli told The Register at the
time he was reluctant to talk about the bounty program because he considered it
a much more serious offense than his other allegations. The bounty, Zanelli
said, might bright down the entire league.<br /> <br />In May, Zanelli wrote up a
chronology of allegations that included the bounty program for the first time.
Zanelli circulated his chronology among some Red Cobras parents. The chronology
was passed around to officials in other Pop Warner leagues and eventually was
sent to the National Pop Warner office in Pennsylvania.<br /> <br />National Pop
Warner turned over the allegations to the Orange Empire Conference (OEC). An
investigation was launched, and despite testimony from six parents and four
players that coaches had offered money for big hits on targeted players, the OEC
found "no evidence" of a bounty program and cleared the Tustin coaches of
wrongdoing.<br /> <br />It wasn't until The Register published its story – and the
number of parents confirming that money had been offered grew to seven – that
National Pop Warner decided to step in and investigate.<br /> <br />The story became
a media sensation around the world. NBC, CNN and local television stations
picked up the story. Radio stations in Pennsylvania and Florida covered the
story. Even the British Broadcasting Company featured the Tustin Pop Warner
story in Europe.</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-57903357371237074902012-11-01T09:38:00.000-07:002012-11-01T09:38:04.031-07:00Gambling in Youth Football?!?!BY KELLI KENNEDY, ASSOCIATED PRESS<br />
<br />
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities said Tuesday they uncovered a massive gambling operation targeting youth football games in South Florida, leading them to arrest nine men, including several coaches with extensive criminal backgrounds who they say exploited kids to turn a profit.<br />
<br />
The 18-month long investigation started when ESPN journalists brought Broward County Sheriff's officials surveillance video showing parents openly exchanging money in the stands while watching their kids' tackle football games. Authorities later uncovered the stakes on pee wee games were high, with more than $100,000 wagered on the youth football championship.<br />
<br />
Coaches routinely met before games and set point spreads, investigators said, but they do not believe the games were thrown or that coaches encouraged players not to complete a touchdown in order to control the outcome. Authorities said they had no evidence that the players were aware of the bets.<br />
"It's about kids being exploited unfortunately by greedy parents and greedy grown-ups and coaches who were basically nothing more than criminals," Sheriff Al Lamberti said.<br />
<br />
After months of surveillance, digging through trash cans and raiding two gambling houses, authorities arrested alleged ringleader Brandon Bivins, known as 'Coach B' in the community, charging him with felony bookmaking and keeping a gambling house. Eight others were also charged Monday with bookmaking and some were charged with keeping a gambling house.<br />
<br />
It's unclear if Bivins has an attorney. A phone message and email sent to one of the other suspect's attorneys was not immediately returned Tuesday.<br />
<br />
Authorities said the suspects have direct ties to the South Florida Youth Football League and several have extensive criminal histories. Bivins has been convicted of cocaine possession, grand theft auto, and marijuana possession with intent to sell.<br />
<br />
According to the league's website, it has 22 clubs and 6,000 players, ranging from pee wee to teens, in three counties. Many of the children come from impoverished neighborhoods.<br />
<br />
Emails and phone calls to several officers in the league were not immediately returned Tuesday.<br />
<br />
The website says the sole purpose of the league "is to benefit children" and instill wholesome values.<br />
Bold print on the league's website warns that anyone taking bets on games will be asked to leave. "The SFYFL is taking a hard stand on gambling, recruiting, paying kids to play and big hits on players."<br />
<br />
Perhaps more disturbing than the gambling operation was the extensive criminal background of six coaches, authorities said.<br />
<br />
An affidavit claims Bivins ran a fake barbershop, complete with barber stations and vending machines, as a front for a gambling house. But behind what appeared to be a closet door was a narrow hallway leading to a seedy gambling room where Bivins and others took bets on professional, college and youth games behind conspicuously dark tinted windows.<br />
<br />
An informant placed numerous bets at Red Carpet Kutz Barbershop and another gambling front, Showtime Sports, during the investigation, according to the affidavit.<br />
<br />
Authorities said they seized nearly $40,000 from a drop safe at one of the storefronts and took another $20,000 from Bivins' home. They believe `Coach B' was skimming off the top of the bets.<br />
"(Bivins has) been to Florida state prison. He's out and he's coaching youth football," Lt. Frank Ballante said.<br />
<br />
Bivins was the president of the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes, one of the most successful teams, and oversaw the coaches. He also interacted with the players, Ballante said.<br />
<br />
Deerfield Beach City officials ramped up their background screening process for youth coaches about 18-months ago when authorities told them about the investigation, but each city is in charge of setting its own ordinances and they vary widely on the issue.<br />
<br />
Authorities worry that betting on games can lead to violence and other crimes. The gambling bust comes after a Miami youth football coach was arrested earlier this month for punching a referee in the face during a game. In another South Florida city, a coach followed another coach home and killed his dog in front of him, Ballante said.<br />
<br />
Those incidents were not related to the gambling busts, but authorities said it's a lesson for cities to ramp up their background check ordinances.<br />
<br />
Ballante warned gambling could end "up with a human being being shot over a football game and it's not because their team lost a game or their kid didn't score the touchdown it's because they lost $40,000 on that play."Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-45885968062736824552012-10-24T00:09:00.002-07:002012-10-24T00:09:25.442-07:00Pop Warner Game = 5 Concussions<h1 itemprop="headline">
One Pop Warner game results in five concussions</h1>
<h2 itemprop="alternativeHeadline">
</h2>
<div class="utility">
<div class="cf" id="byline" itemprop="byline">
By Bob Hohler</div>
<div class="cf" id="dateline">
Globe Staff <span class="listPipe">/</span> October 20, 2012 </div>
</div>
<!-- / #sharetoolContainer --><div id="articleGraphs">
<div>
<div class="firstGraph">
In an alarming case of young athletes being put at risk, five children suffered concussions last month in a Pop Warner football game that resulted in disciplinary action against both coaches and association presidents.</div>
<!-- DEBUG: Entering Related Content Process --><!-- DEBUG: Related links NOT found --><!-- DEBUG: Review type NOT found --><div class="articlePluckHidden">
The injured children, all 10 to 12 years old, played for the Tantasqua Pee Wees Sept. 15 when they were overrun, 52-0, by a Southbridge team whose website’s banner states, “Are You Tough Enough.’’</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
The five children missed various numbers of school days because of their injuries, and one has not returned to the field.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
The coaches, Southbridge’s Scott Lazo and Tantasqua’s Erik Iller, were suspended for the remainder of the season and placed on probation through the 2013 season after a lengthy hearing Thursday conducted by Central Mass. Pop Warner.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
The association presidents, Lazo’s brother, Doug Lazo of Southbridge, and Iller’s wife, Jen Iller of Tantasqua, also were placed on probation through the 2013 season because they attended the game and failed to take action, according to the hearing committee.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
In addition, the three officials who worked the game have been permanently banned by Central Mass. Pop Warner.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
“Having multiple concussions in one game is something that should never happen, ever,’’ said Patrick Inderwish, president of Central Mass. Pop Warner. “One concussion is too many.’’</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
He said the hearing committee attributed the injuries to “bad officiating and decision-making by the coaches and all other parties involved.’’</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
“That game doesn’t represent what Pop Warner stands for in any way,’’ Inderwish said.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Pop Warner regulations require officials to invoke a series of mercy rules once the gap in the score reaches 28 points. But the mercy rules went unenforced and at least one boy suffered a concussion on a play that should have been ruled dead.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Inderwish said the officials had an obligation to stop the game if they considered the safety of the players at risk.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Tantasqua filed a complaint after the game, alleging violations of weigh-in procedures, the mercy rule, and player safety. Yet the hearing committee ultimately ruled that the Tantasqua staff shared responsibility for the injuries.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Jen Iller, whose son played in the game and was not injured, said she was very disturbed by the concussions. But she said she considered the discipline against Tantasqua “completely unfair’’ because the officials put the children at risk by failing to invoke the mercy rule and take other preventative measures.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Efforts to reach Scott Lazo, who is a member of the Southbridge School Committee, and Doug Lazo were unsuccessful. </div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Inderwish said the hearing committee disciplined the Tantasqua staff as severely as Southbridge’s because the Tantasqua officials also violated Pop Warner’s code of conduct obligating them to protect their players.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
“There’s an obligation to walk across the field and say, ‘This thing is out of hand,’ and nobody did that,’’ he said.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
Iller said Tantasqua staff members with emergency medical training evaluated the injured children during the game but did not consider their conditions serious enough to warrant further attention. Because the concussions were not diagnosed until after the game, the children continued playing. Numerous medical reports have indicated that playing with undiagnosed concussions increases the risk of more serious damage.</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
“Additional hits to the head in the minutes after a concussion can be devastating,’’ said Chris Nowinski, president of the Sports Legacy Institute, which is dedicated to addressing the problem of sports concussions. “We do a terrible job diagnosing concussions at the time of injury because they are so difficult to see as an observer. </div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
“There is almost no hope of diagnosing a concussion in a child at the time of injury unless it is obvious because they are knocked out.’’</div>
<div class="articlePluckHidden">
The incident raises questions about the ability of Pop Warner Little Scholars, the nation’s largest youth football organization, to enforce the rules it established in 2010 aimed at reducing brain injuries caused by concussions. The rules were strengthened this year to limit contact in practices.</div>
<div>
“Nothing is more important to Pop Warner than the safety and well-being of our players,’’ the hearing committee stated. “Pop Warner has put in place the most stringent concussion rules in youth sports and we will continue to find ways to ensure football is safe and fun for our young athletes.’’</div>
</div>
<div>
<em>Bob Hohler can be reached at hohler@globe.com.</em><img alt="end of story marker" border="0" class="storyend" height="8" src="http://www.boston.com/r/SysConfig/WebPortal/Boston/Framework/images/site_graphics/dingbat_story_end_icon.gif" width="6" /></div>
</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-48189882193932807652012-10-19T09:46:00.000-07:002012-10-19T09:46:30.394-07:00Pop Warner's Cover Up<div>
Published: Oct. 18, 2012 Updated: 6:33 p.m. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
A gap in Pop Warner video: Cover-up? </div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By KEITH SHARON / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Investigators looking into the Tustin Pop Warner bounty allegations have
been given video of a youth football game played last season which could help
them determine whether five missing minutes on the video is evidence of a
cover-up.<br /> <br />The video supplied by the Tustin Red Cobras' videographer to
team parents last October — and brought to the attention of The Register this
week — is missing six of Tustin's defensive plays, two of which resulted in cash
payments for Tustin players, according to a former assistant coach on that
team.</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />The video has come to light at a time when National Pop Warner
officials are investigating accusations that during the 2011 season Tustin's
Junior Pee Wee coaches created an incentive program in which opponents were
targeted and Red Cobras' 10-and 11-year-old players were paid cash for big hits
and more cash for knocking targeted opponents out of games.<br /> <br />Former Red
Cobra assistant coach John Zanelli on Thursday turned the video — plus a second
video that shows every play in the game — over to Pop Warner
investigators.<br /> <br />Head coach Darren Crawford and assistant coach Richard
Bowman have denied paying money for hits. Crawford and Tustin Pop Warner
President Pat Galentine have been suspended pending the outcome of the
investigation.<br /> <br />The video from last season's Oct. 29 playoff game against
Yorba Linda was posted on Box.net, a file-sharing website that can be accessed
only by team parents and invited guests. It shows the game's first two plays,
then a disclaimer appears on the screen: "Missing Video through minute 5:54 in
the 1st Quarter." Play then resumes from that point and continues uninterrupted
until the end of the game.<br /> <br />The end of the video says: "CREDITS Richard
Bethell (with apologies for the missing video)."<br /> <br />Zanelli, who is among a
group of parents and players making the bounty allegations, was sent another
video this week by a parent who is not being named to protect the identity of
his son. Zanelli played the two videos side-by-side for The
Register.<br /> <br />The second video shows two big hits by Tustin players. In the
first hit, a Tustin player sacks the Yorba Linda quarterback, causing a fumble
and resulting in a touchdown for the Red Cobras. In the second hit, a Tustin
player makes a hard tackle, driving the Yorba Linda ball carrier into the ground
on his back. Neither play resulted in a penalty against
Tustin.<br /> <br />According to two players and two parents interviewed by The
Register, both players who made those tackles were voted by their teammates as
having made the game's "big hits."<br /> <br />The father of one of the players who
won the vote told The Register he saw his son receive money from Crawford for
that hit. Crawford told The Register that his memory is "hazy" from that day,
and that "Maybe I did give him money to go to the snack bar."<br /> <br />The
Bethell video does not include those plays.<br /> <br />"It is way too coincidental
that the two players who received money were on both ends of the missing
footage," Zanelli said. "The missing footage would help conceal the program from
the parents who watched the video."<br /> <br />In an interview this week, Bethell
said no edits (other than adding the disclaimer and credit line) were made to
the video. Bethell, the team's videographer for the previous nine games of that
season, said he simply "missed those plays." Bethell said he does remember
adding the disclaimer including the color of the font he used. The video was
posted on Oct. 31, 2011, two days after the game and has not been modified
since.<br /> <br />Bethell said he did not remember what happened to cause the gap
in the video.<br /> <br />"I may have gone to the car to get batteries," Bethell
said. "Do I remember (going to the car)? No. Not precisely.<br /> <br />"If I had
those sections of the game," Bethell added, "they would be in the
video."<br /> <br />Bethell accused Zanelli of lying about details of the
investigation.<br /> <br />"He (Zanelli) is probably not telling the truth about
anything else involved in this matter."<br /> <br />So far in the investigation, The
Register has confirmed that six parents and players have told National Pop
Warner investigators that Red Cobras players were offered cash for hits during
three playoff games in 2011.<br /> <br />Zanelli, former equipment manager Paul
Bunkers and others have said players were offered between $20 and $50 by
Crawford and Bowman for big hits in games against Yorba Linda, Santa Margarita
and San Bernardino, and that the kids got more money when opposing players were
knocked out of the game. In the Santa Margarita game, a Red Cobras player was
paid after he delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on a Santa Margarita ball carrier
who left the game with a mild concussion.<br /> <br />The Red Cobras advanced to the
Pop Warner Super Bowl tournament in 2011 before being eliminated in the
semifinals by a team from Washington D.C.<br /> <br />Contact the writer at <a href="mailto:ksharon@ocregister.com">ksharon@ocregister.com</a></div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-20445156755151501342012-10-18T04:12:00.001-07:002012-10-18T04:12:49.751-07:00Pop Warner sued in the I.E.Published: Oct. 17, 2012 Updated: 6:22 p.m.
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mickadeit: Pop Warner sued in the I.E.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By FRANK MICKADEITCOLUMNIST / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Even as Pop Warner investigates allegations that some Orange County coaches
instituted a bounty program, the youth football organization and a coach in
Riverside County have been sued by parents who say the coach wrenched their
son's neck at a game.<br /> <br />The player's father contacted me after reading the
articles Keith Sharon and I wrote alleging that coaches on the Tustin Red Cobras
paid players who hit opponents the hardest, with added cash if they knocked them
out of the game.<br /> <br />"Our goal is similar to yours, I think, in that we hope
to bring light and attention to these problems so that the situation may be
improved for the kids still in the program," wrote Brett Goldberg, whose
7-year-old son, Chase, played on the Riverside Buccaneers Pop Warner team last
year.<br /> <br />The lawsuit alleges that at a game played on Oct. 2, 2011 coach
Steve Tims was "seething in anger" at the play of Chase and pulled him from the
game. "As Chase approached the sideline," the lawsuit says, "Mr. Tims violently
grabbed Chase by the facemask, completely stopping his motion and wrenching
Chase's neck. Mr. Tims then towered above Chase ... and began to jerk and pull
Chase's facemask while screaming insults related to Chase's
performance."<br /> <br />Chase's mother ran to the sidelines to intervene, the suit
says. The next day, Chase's doctor found he had a "grade 3 neck contusion,
consistent with whiplash (and) ... interior bruising on the front and side of
his neck." He wore a neck brace for several days and took pain
medication.<br /> <br />Tims told me, "It never happened. ... Absolutely not." He
declined further comment.<br /> <br />The Goldbergs have alleged assault, battery
and seven other torts.<br /> <br />Pop Warner had not filed an answer as of last
week but was seeking arbitration, which Goldberg said he will oppose. Ian
Stewart, a Los Angeles lawyer hired by Pop Warner, said he is investigating the
incident and couldn't comment at this time.<br /> <br />Goldberg said his son
physically recovered in about a week. "He was very frightened by his coach. I
feel the physical injury is evidence of how extreme the verbal berating was. We
don't talk about the incident with him (to date) and he's moved on, having lost
interest in football. He plays soccer now at AYSO Riverside and we've been
pleased with our experience with this organization."<br /> <br />Stewart is the same
attorney conducting the Tustin investigation for national Pop Warner. Within the
last week, at least six of the parents and former Tustin players who talked to
Keith and me were interviewed by Stewart and another Pop Warner official. It's
unclear when it will be concluded.<br /> <br />Contact 714:796-4994 or <a href="mailto:fmickadeit@ocregister">fmickadeit@ocregister</a>.</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-91356176076075777862012-09-28T18:22:00.002-07:002012-09-28T18:22:18.086-07:00More Orange County Pop Warner Headlines<div>
Published: Sept. 28, 2012 Updated: 3:53 p.m. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mickadeit: Football for 35 pounders?</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By FRANK MICKADEITCOLUMNIST / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Film Night. That's when this lunacy really hit home to me. I had asked an
11-year-old member of last year's Tustin Red Cobras Pop Warner team when he
first heard a coach talk about cash-for-injuries. "At Film Night," he'd said. He
became the third player to tell Keith Sharon and me about the bounty
program.<br /> <br />Film Night? Film Night for 10- and 11-year-old boys should be
"Old Yeller" or "Toy Story." The notion that kids' football has evolved –
devolved – to the point they are dissecting game films (on a school night, no
less) tells you how far off track Pop Warner has gotten. And film nights are
apparently within the Pop Warner rules. Other tactics employed by last year's
Tustin team were not.<br /> <br />The import of Keith's report today is it shows
that a Tustin Pop Warner bounty program that has caused a national ruckus and
the suspensions of two local coaches is just the culmination of – the tragically
logical progression of – a well-intentioned youth program gone
haywire.<br /> <br />It's important to note that the New Orleans Saints bounty
scandal wasn't made public until well after the Tustin coaches had already
instituted their program. The Tustin coaches weren't copying the Saints;
whatever they did arose organically out of their own twisted sense of
values.<br /> <br />To start, the Red Cobras capped their roster and cherry picked
the best players from Tustin, which deprived the other Tustin teams in their
division from starting the season on the same footing. How would you like to be
a player on one of the other Tustin teams, knowing that the league all-star team
essentially had been decided before the season started and that your team had
virtually no hope of being competitive?<br /> <br />As if Tustin's preordained super
team wasn't loaded enough, the coaches went outside the league boundaries and
recruited a top player from Anaheim.<br /> <br />Then, in the most egregious act
outside the bounty program itself, the coaches allegedly fudged a player's
weight. This 11-year-old "Player X" had dieted, worked out in a plastic suit and
spat Skittle juice in a desperate attempt to defy the normal march of
prepubescent growth that tens of thousands of years of human evolution has
wrought. He actually went to the hospital at one point for chest
pains.<br /> <br />Bad enough. But when they finally realized Player X didn't have
one more gram of body mass to give to the cause, they allowed him to be weighed
in pads that had been shaved and bored out. In some cases, the player had to
play in these altered pads, which might put his own safety at risk, and in at
least one other case he was able to change into the correct pads, which put
opponents at risk because they were facing a player who was over the weight
limit.<br /> <br />In the playoffs, Player X's teammates were told to stand around
him while he changed pads so league officials or opponents wouldn't catch on to
the scheme. Thus, by the end of the Tustin's 2011 season, the coaches had
completely co-opted their players with this win-at-all-costs ethos.<br /> <br />The
whole weight issue in Pop Warner also deserves some abstract
analysis.<br /> <br />Pop Warner knows that regulating player weight is one of the
most important ways to ensure safety and competitiveness. Leagues have a "weight
master" to ensure players meet the prescribed weight for their age and division.
(One of the great ironies of this whole debacle is that Darren Crawford, the
Tustin Red Cobras head coach who was suspended on Thursday, is also the Tustin
league's weight master.)<br /> <br />Anyway, there is an elaborate set of rules
about how much a player can weigh, and it even varies week-to-week during the
season. This has been reduced to a series of matrixes that look something like
the periodic table of elements – but more complicated. The rules also get very
specific about what types of equipment can be included in a weigh-in, when
players can be weighed and when they can't, etc.<br /> <br />The Tustin Red Cobras
violated those rules, no question, but the very existence of such an elaborate
set of rules gives pause. These weight rules are in the 37-page "Weight-Master,
Player Administrator & Spotter Handbook." Lets' add to the Pop Warner
statutory scheme: an 18-page set of By-laws," a 65-page "Administrative
Regulations" manual, a 27-page "Coaches Risk Management Handbook," and what
appears to be the Bible of it all, the 115-page national "Pop Warner
Administrative Manual."<br /> <br />And still, even following the rules, you can
have a 5-year-old kid weighing as little as 35 pounds playing tackle football in
something called the Tiny Mite division against 75 pounders. Thirty-five pounds?
We used to have a cat bigger than that. (Pop Warner has seven divisions of
tackle football, Tiny Mite, Junior Mighty Might, Midget, etc. The 2011 Tustin
Red Cobras played in the Junior Pee Wee Division.)<br /> <br />I posit this
question: If you can't regulate a way to keep a kindergartner from being
clotheslined by a second-grader roughly twice his size, what is the point of
such ponderous rule-making?<br /> <br />Maybe what this is telling us is that youth
tackle football has just become a game of rules and not a game. Thus, the global
question: Has an organization that now requires (at least) 262 pages of rules to
administer a kids' game – and still can't keep administrators from embezzling,
coaches from cheating and 10-year-old from playing for bounties – has such an
organization lost its value to society?<br /> <br />Pop Warner football has a
wonderful heritage. It was founded in 1929 to take rowdy kids – young
rock-throwing vandals – off the streets of Philadelphia. Those kids were
teenagers. By contrast, the current fanaticism to introduce kids to tackle
football at ever earlier ages seems to have no limit. Coming soon: the Junior In
Utero Division (zygotes 12 cells or fewer).<br /> <br />The original Pop Warner idea
was that by exposing kids to adults who could teach them about sportsmanship, it
would keep them from becoming thugs.<br /> <br />Has Pop Warner become the very
thing it sought to crush?<br /> <br />Contact Mickadeit at 714-796-4994 or <a href="mailto:fmickadeit@ocregister.com">fmickadeit@ocregister.com</a></div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-29966261778712119552012-09-28T18:18:00.001-07:002012-09-28T18:18:25.659-07:00Orange County Pop Warner Can't Get Out of the News<div>
Published: Sept. 28, 2012 Updated: 3:39 p.m. </div>
<br />
<div>
Tustin Pop Warner charges go beyond bounties</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By KEITH SHARON / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Sometimes, to dominate the ultracompetitive world of Junior Pee Wee
football, you have to change the game.<br /> <br />And many of the changes you can
make to get to the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Kissimmee, Florida, have little to
do with what happens on the field.<br /> <br />For the Tustin Red Cobras, the 2011
Super Bowl tournament representative from the Western United States, some
coaches changed, bent and broke rules regarding sign-ups and the team's roster –
and encouraged the mostly 10- and 11-year-old boys to use weight loss techniques
described by a professional trainer as life threatening — according to two
members of the coaching staff and a parent of one of the
players.<br /> <br />Thursday, National Pop Warner announced they will send an
independent investigator to Tustin, and, until the investigation is complete,
they will suspend the head coach, Darren Crawford, and president, Pat Galentine,
of Tustin Pop Warner.<br /> <br />"They cheated in order to get to Florida," said a
Red Cobras parent who did not want her name used to protect the identity of her
son. "This is a powder keg of crap."<br /> <br />Her point of view is shared by a
group of former Red Cobras who have now formed their own team in another league.
The most outspoken in that group are former Red Cobras assistant coach John
Zanelli and former Red Cobras equipment manager Paul Bunkers.<br /> <br />On Sunday,
Sept. 23, the Register reported allegations that last season Tustin coaches paid
cash to some players on their youth players for big hits and more cash for
knocking star players on opposing teams out of games. Seven sets of Red Cobras
parents and players have confirmed that coaches Darren Crawford and Richard
Bowman targeted opposing players, offered cash incentives and paid several
players for hard hits in games against youth teams from Yorba Linda, Santa
Margarita and San Bernardino.<br /> <br />Crawford and Bowman said they've never
given cash to players or encouraged them to make hits on or injure opponents for
money. The coaches said the allegations were made by a disgruntled parent who
convinced other parents and players to lie. Zanelli and Bowman have both been
suspended by Pop Warner in the past year.<br /> <br />But Zanelli and Bunkers (who
has not been suspended) are not alone in their claims. The Register contacted
more than 20 coaches, former coaches, parents, attorneys, medical experts and
players to report this story. Many coaches and players repeated allegations of
bounties paid to Red Cobra players for clean football plays – and plays that put
kids out of games.<br /> <br />Earlier this year, Zanelli and Bunkers were among six
parents and four players interviewed by officials from the Orange Empire
Conference, which is the governing body over 28 Pop Warner organizations in
Southern California. Despite the parents' and players' claims, the OEC found no
evidence of a bounty program.<br /> <br />The OEC, however, did look at other
allegations by Zanelli, Bunkers and others, and found some of them to be
true.<br /> <br />Crawford was placed on probation for misreporting a player's
weight. The OEC suspended Bowman for half a season for a physical altercation
with another parent while the team was in Florida.<br /> <br />This week, there has
been a media frenzy that has enveloped the Red Cobras program with the Today
Show, Good Morning America, ESPN, CNN, the John and Ken Show on KFI Radio, and
several local television news outlets have been scrambling to get quotes from
the Red Cobras players and parents.<br /> <br />Jeoffrey Robinson, an attorney
representing Crawford, told NBC, "Mr. Crawford has stated he may have made
errors in judgment unrelated to a bounty program and is willing to make any
amends possible to make himself a better coach. I'm hoping if nothing else that
these accusations will help all of us to focus on what we say to young kids, how
we try to motivate them, and what can we do to make sure they play safely
themselves."<br /> <br />Crawford could not be reached for comment on this story.
Bowman said, "No comment." Attempts to reach Steve McGinnis, the president of
the OEC, were unsuccessful.<br /> <br />•••<br /> <br />Before the 2011 season began,
the Tustin organization, which includes teams for players from ages 7 to 14 in
six tackle football divisions, changed its sign-up rules in an effort to build a
super team, Zanelli said.<br /> <br />In 2011, in the Junior Pee Wee division,
Tustin fielded three teams. In the past, Tustin had allowed any Junior Pee Wee
player to pick any of the three coaches in the division. That's similar to how
many Pop Warner leagues operate, splitting up the best players who sign up so
all the teams in the division have a similar shot at winning.<br /> <br />But not in
2011 in Tustin. Instead of players picking coaches the coaches picked the
players, and they shifted talent to the Red Cobras squad.<br /> <br />"They changed
the rules so people couldn't end up on the team randomly," Bunkers
said.<br /> <br />Tustin capped its Red Cobras roster at 22 players, which is also a
strategic advantage. In Pop Warner, every player must play a minimum of eight
offensive or defensive plays in the every game. By capping its roster, Tustin
limited its number of "must play" players and maximized the playing time for
more talented starters.<br /> <br />In Yorba Linda and Santa Margarita, for example,
the Junior Pee Wee rosters had 28 or 29 players, so more "must play" players had
to be on the field for more significant time.<br /> <br />(Many Pop Warner teams use
"must play" players as wide receivers and position them where they aren't likely
to be involved in the action. But because Tustin won by such lopsided scores,
the "must play" Red Cobras players got a lot of playing time, and were not
always stuck at wide receiver.)<br /> <br />One of the best players on the 2011
Tustin team does not live in Tustin. He played in Anaheim Pop Warner in 2009,
but his parents asked for and received a waiver from Anaheim Pop Warner,
allowing him to jump leagues.<br /> <br />That player, who became a star on the 2011
Tustin team, was 10 years old when the season began, so he was allowed, per Pop
Warner's weight-limit rules, to weigh 105 pounds at the start of the season. A
10-year-old, 100-pound-plus player with speed is like gold in Junior Pee Wee
football.<br /> <br />Pop Warner rules also allow "older/lighter" players to play,
and these players also can be valuable on the field.<br /> <br />At the Junior Pee
Wee level, older/lighter players are smaller (85 pounds or lighter) sixth
graders who can play with bigger fifth graders (who weigh up to 105 pounds). It
is the goal of every ultracompetitive Pop Warner team to fill its roster with
older/lighter players. In Santa Margarita, for example, 15 of the 29 players
were older/lighter. In Tustin, 11 of 22 were older/lighter.<br /> <br />In some
cases, this rule allows seventh graders to play with fourth graders, and the Red
Cobras had one of each.<br /> <br />The problem in Tustin was that one of the
older/lighter players wasn't always as light as he needed to be.<br /> <br />In
Zanelli's chronology filed with the OEC he referred to that 11-year-old as
"Player X."<br /> <br />Player X's father did not return a phone call to discuss
this story.<br /> <br />The chronology said Player X weighed more than 85 pounds on
Aug. 1, 2011, the first day of football practice. He still weighed more than 85
pounds on Aug. 12, the day each player is officially certified by the league. At
this point, Player X could have been immediately moved up to a bigger division,
Pee Wee, where he would play with heavier kids.<br /> <br />But Player X was a key
piece of the Red Cobra's formula to get to Florida, and the team sought – and
received – a waiver from OEC that gave Player X until Aug. 27 to lose the
required weight, according to Zanelli's chronology.<br /> <br />Many Pop Warner
families are familiar with extreme weight-loss efforts by the children near the
cutoff limit. Many boys in Pop Warner diet and, in some cases, take diuretics to
lose weight.<br /> <br />Brad Davidson, owner of Stark Training in Irvine and the
trainer of professional athletes like Sam Baker who was raised in Tustin and is
now playing for the Atlanta Falcons and former Laker Matt Barnes, said extreme
dieting for children is "crazy."<br /> <br />"At that age, the stress that dieting
puts on the body is unbelievable," Davidson said. "You're stripping the body of
electrolytes. The body becomes massively dehydrated. Strength and coordination
will be affected. When you lose too many electrolytes, you can
die.<br /> <br />"What's more important, a Pee Wee football game or your kid's
health? They are putting these kids' lives in danger."<br /> <br />In the case of
Player X, Zanelli's chronology says the 11-year-old wore a plastic suit to try
to sweat off the weight. He sat in saunas. His teammates said he sucked on
Skittles candy to create saliva so he could spit more often.<br /> <br />On Aug. 27,
the day of Red Cobras' first regular season game, Player X said he was injured,
did not get weighed and did not play.<br /> <br />Pop Warner rules allow players to
remain eligible even as they gain one pound a week, up to nine pounds total,
over the course of the season. So by the third game of the season, the weight
requirement for Player X was 87 pounds. At each weigh-in, the player is allowed
eight extra pounds for his pads. So the scale had to read 95 pounds (the boy's
weight plus pads) or less for Player X to be eligible.<br /> <br />On Sept. 10,
Player X showed up for the pre-game weigh-in as the Red Cobras prepared to play
Santa Ana. Crawford and Bowman had arranged for him to wear shoulder pads with
holes drilled in them and thigh pads that had been cut in half to make them
lighter. Player X made the weight.<br /> <br />After the weigh in, the chronology
says, Player X went into a bathroom so he could change into his heavier, safer
pads out of sight of officials. Player X played in that day's game and the Red
Cobras won 27-6.<br /> <br />It is unclear if Player X was ever certified by the OEC
to play in games. It is clear he did not start the season at the proper weight,
Zanelli said.<br /> <br />•••<br /> <br />On Sept. 17, the morning of the Red Cobras'
game against Lakewood, Player X complained of chest pains and was taken to a
hospital, Zanelli's complaint said. Player X missed the game against
Lakewood.<br /> <br />"I told his dad to play in the right weight division," Bunkers
said. "This isn't worth it."<br /> <br />Another parent said: "I felt sorry for that
kid. I talked to his mother and said, 'I can't believe you're allowing him to do
this.'"<br /> <br />If Player X wasn't able to slip away to the bathroom without
being noticed, he would play games in the illegally altered pads, Zanelli
said.<br /> <br />By the time the playoffs rolled round, the weight limit had risen
to 94 pounds (102 in pads). Player X was still at the edge of the weight
limit.<br /> <br />Before the playoff game against Yorba Linda, Player X weighed in
successfully with his illegally altered pads. After the weigh-in his teammates
formed a human ring around Player X so officials couldn't see him change into
his safer pads, said one parent.<br /> <br />In the second playoff game against
Santa Margarita, it was Player X who delivered the big hit of the game that gave
the opposing running back a mild concussion. It was Player X, Zanelli said, who
got paid after the game.<br /> <br />By the time the team got to Florida, the weight
rules changed. The players didn't wear pads during weigh-ins. Player X spent
time in the sauna before the first game. At the first weigh-in, he was too
heavy. He left the facility and again sat in a sauna, Zanelli said. When he
returned, a second scale was found, and he was allowed to be weighed a second
time.<br /> <br />This time, Player X made the weight, Zanelli said.<br /> <br />The Red
Cobras eventually lost in the semifinals of the Super Bowl tournament to a team
from Washington D.C. But they finished the season with a 12-1
record.<br /> <br />Bunkers said that the Red Cobras coaches had gone too far to
achieve their goal.<br /> <br />"The goal should be for the kids to have fun,"
Bunkers said. "But egos get in the way. Some guys are reliving their childhoods
through their kids."<br /> <br />Register columnist Frank Mickadeit contributed to
this report.</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-22527718832079925632012-09-28T09:44:00.000-07:002012-09-28T09:45:11.847-07:00High School Coach In TroublePublished: Sept. 27, 2012 6:02 p.m.
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Coach vulgarity complaint shines light on sports culture</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Fullerton baseball player Grant Sims, 16, comes forward to discuss a taboo
topic – foul language in coaching.</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />
By SCOTT MARTINDALE / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
FULLERTON – Sixteen-year-old Grant Sims says he's never been one to
complain about expletives and vulgar language he hears daily at baseball
practice. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
It's to be expected, he says, including from his coaches at Fullerton Union
High School. But at a June baseball game, Sims said, head coach Marc Patino went
too far. <br />
<br />
During a team huddle, Patino referred to Sims with a
derogatory term for gay people, and when Sims gave the coach a displeased look,
Patino threatened to initiate a graphic sex act with the high school junior,
according to a complaint filed with the Fullerton Joint Union High School
District. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The district, in an Aug. 31 letter to the Sims family, reported it took
"significant disciplinary action" against Patino.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"The district does not condone or tolerate any comments or actions of any
of its employees that would embarrass or demean students, staff or members of
the public," Edward Atkinson, the district's assistant superintendent for human
resources, said in the letter.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The district would not elaborate on the punishment, citing personnel
confidentiality. Patino, a full-time social science teacher at Fullerton Union
High School, did not return multiple requests for comment. He remains the team's
head coach.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Orange County school and athletic officials acknowledge that situations
like the one Sims alleged continue to play out on sports fields across the
nation, a reflection of a decades-long, less-than-successful effort to wipe out
the strong and threatening language used in high school sports. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"Cussing and swearing is something you can't ever defend with a parent,"
said Vince Brown, athletic director at Santa Ana's Foothill High School, a coach
for three decades. "But it's difficult because a lot of times the coaches are
using it in the heat of the moment, and it's something that comes from either
the way they were coached or are accustomed to coaching. There's a huge learning
curve."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Even when officials seek to hold coaches like Patino accountable for their
behavior, experts say, schools' ability to take decisive action is hampered by
state laws that protect teachers' due-process rights.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
As a result, officials say, schools generally don't take actions like
suspension and termination, especially in instances of a single reported
transgression.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
TEEN ALLEGES PATTERN</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Sims said his decision to report Patino to school authorities was based on
a pattern of behavior that emerged in the classroom as well as on the field.
(Sims also had Patino as a teacher last year.)</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
In the written complaint, Sims and his parents accused Patino of regularly
referring to one of Sims' teammates with a derogatory term for Jewish people,
and of regularly using phrases such as "You (expletive)" and "You're the biggest
(expletive)."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
During the June 25 team huddle, Patino said, "The only (expletive) not
playing (defense) today is Grant," according to the complaint. When the teen
gave his coach a displeased look, Patino said, "Don't look at me that way or
I'll skull-(expletive) you," the complaint said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"Profanity doesn't bother me; it's the terms and remarks toward people that
do," said Sims, who plays centerfield and pitcher. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"My parents have always taught me to do the right thing, stand up for what
I believe in, and make a difference," said Sims, a self-described devout
Christian who attends Fullerton's Eastside Christian Church. "I don't want other
kids going through the same thing I did, being pushed down, ridiculed, attacked,
and being afraid to say anything about it."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
After the June 25 game, Sims' father confronted the coach, surreptitiously
tape-recording their conversation with his cell phone. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
On the 12-1/2-minute recording, which was reviewed by the Register, Patino
appears to explain why he used the graphic language.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I'm just trying to get him to be cool, to be relaxed," Patino is heard
telling Sean Sims.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Later in the conversation, Patino says: "I'm sorry. If he's feeling that
upset, then I totally apologize."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Grant Sims said he was so disturbed by the June 25 incident that he quit
the remainder of summer practice. He rejoined his team after school resumed in
August. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Since that time, Patino has not apologized to Sims or talked to him about
the incident, the Sims family said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"If a student said this to a teacher, they would at least be suspended, if
not expelled," Sean Sims said. "If someone said this to their boss at work, they
would be fired. These things should never be said to children, and these boys
are becoming young men."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
CULTURE OF FOUL LANGUAGE</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
High school athletic officials say that expletives and vulgar language are
no more appropriate on a practice field than they are in a classroom. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
But officials also acknowledge that in the heat of competition, under
intense pressure, even coaches who know better will slip up. Furthermore,
officials say, strong language is intrinsic to the way an entire generation of
coaches communicated with players – a pervasive culture many coaches seem
reluctant to give up.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"We used to think the old-school way was the only method to communicate
with the athletes," said Brown, past president of the Orange County Athletic
Directors Association. "I was probably one of the biggest offenders of language
in my early career; now I tell my coaches, 'You can never coach the way I
coached when I was young.' " </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Brown said that when he began coaching the 1970s, profanity was a mainstay
of high school coaching. But the callous language of the 70s and 80s gave way in
the 90s to a more positive, nurturing approach, Brown said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Today, the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section – the
umbrella organization for Southern California athletics – requires coaches to
sign a code of ethics, pledging that they will refrain from "the use of
profanity, vulgarity and other offensive language and gestures." The
organization also heavily promotes "pursuing victory with honor," a CIF
motto.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"We're there to provide student athletes with the best possible role
models," said Chris Corliss, who oversees health, sports and physical education
programs for the Orange County Department of Education. "We ask coaches, 'Would
you accept that same type of language from your student athlete?'"</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
As for reporting transgressions, athletics leaders agree that schools can
only begin to address inappropriate language when students are willing to shine
a spotlight on a problem that is rarely discussed or reported.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"At the end of the day, if this is wrong and you feel strongly about it,
you've got to come forward," said Thom Simmons, a spokesman for the CIF Southern
Section, based in Los Alamitos. "Otherwise, other kids will continue to be hurt
by what's occurring."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
TOUGH TO BUILD CASE</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
School administrators who were asked to review the Sims family's complaint
for the Register expressed shock and disgust at the coach's alleged language.
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
They noted it rose above the strong language typically overheard on a
sports field, and that it appeared to be corroborated by Sean Sims'
tape-recorded conversation with the coach.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
But they also urged caution in jumping to conclusions, noting that only the
school district has had the opportunity to interview the coach and hear his side
of the story.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I'm definitely appalled that this kind of language is going on in any
school system," said Theresa Daem, a retired Laguna Beach Unified superintendent
who now runs a national superintendents' association. "Not that anything would
justify what he said, but there are many times when you're investigating
something that you learn things that give it a bit of a different
perspective."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Daem said Fullerton district officials likely were appalled at the words
Patino was accused of uttering. But after investigating, even if they had wanted
to remove the coach from his position, their hands would have been tied, Daem
said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
First of all, Daem said, if they were to remove the coach, it could create
a community backlash. More importantly, teachers have due-process rights
codified in state law, she explained.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"You need to build a file; you can't just have this one instance of a
verbal insult," said Daem, executive director of the Newport Beach-based
National Association of School Superintendents. "You would need to take measured
steps toward something as big as suspension or dismissal. As horrible as it was,
there are processes they have to adhere to."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Had an employee in the private sector used racial or gay slurs or
threatened someone in the workplace, even if jokingly, that employee easily
might have been suspended or fired, said Ron Wenkart, an attorney for the county
Department of Education.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"The framework of the law is very different in the private sector," Wenkart
said. "Unless it's a unionized business, the employer has a lot more discretion
to decide whether to fire someone. If they find this conduct unacceptable, they
probably would fire the person."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Michael Stone of the California Teachers Association said due-process
rights are intended to protect teachers from false allegations and
discriminatory action by their employer. Private-sector employees have the right
to immediately file a wrongful-termination lawsuit, Stone said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Stone, a trustee for the state teachers union and an Aliso Viejo Middle
School math teacher, also said school administrators and other supervisory
personnel should make regular appearances in teachers' classrooms and on
athletic fields, to nip inappropriate behaviors in the bud before students and
parents lodge complaints. Observing teachers is the way administrators are
supposed to hold them accountable, Stone said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"Good administrators walk out onto the field and they see what's really
happening," Stone said. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
PAID LEAVE</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Toward the end of Fullerton Union High's summer season in mid July, the
team's remaining schedule was abruptly canceled. District Superintendent George
Giokaris confirmed the cancelation was due to a "confidential personnel matter,"
but declined to elaborate further. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Giokaris, however, said that in general, when an employee is accused of
harassment, intimidation or making a threat, the staff member is put on paid
leave so the district can investigate.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"We make a relevant determination whether the facts of the case support the
allegation of threats, intimidations and harassment," Giokaris said. "Based on
what we find, appropriate discipline is assigned."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Giokaris also said an audio recording created without the other party's
consent could not be used to build a case against an employee.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"We cannot legally use something that is obtained illegally," Giokaris
said. "It's pretty much the same legal standard as trying to prove someone
committed a criminal act that would cause someone to have to go to jail or pay a
fine."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Regardless of the legalities, Stone said, teachers and coaches should
always use proper language – it's just common sense.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"You're representing your high school," said Stone, who spent a season
coaching freshman football. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"If you play dirty, it's not just a reflection on yourself, but on the
youth you're coaching."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Contact the writer: 714-796-7802 or <a href="mailto:smartindale@ocregister.com">smartindale@ocregister.com</a> or
Twitter: @MartindaleScott</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-1450993455947240992012-09-28T07:53:00.001-07:002012-09-28T07:53:06.120-07:00OC Pop Warner Under Investigation<div>
Published: Sept. 27, 2012 Updated: 9:16 p.m. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Youth football in Tustin under investigation </div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By KEITH SHARON / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The head coach and league president who presided over the 2011 Tustin
Junior Pee Wee Red Cobras football team have been suspended, effective
immediately, pending an investigation by National Pop Warner into allegations of
a bounty program first reported in The Orange County Register.<br /> <br />"In light
of new information and players coming forward who did not participate in the
league investigation, National Pop Warner will intervene to further investigate
the alleged bounty program in Tustin Pop Warner," said Executive Director Jon
Butler.<br /> <br />"We will assign a local designee who is not affiliated with the
association to lead the investigation and will work closely with the Wescon
Region and Orange Empire Conference to ensure the safety of our participants and
the integrity of the Pop Warner program. We take this matter very seriously and
have asked Tustin Pop Warner Head Coach Darren Crawford and Tustin President Pat
Galentine to step down until this situation is finalized."<br /> <br />The Tustin
Red Cobras, a team of mostly 10- and 11-year-old players, advanced to the Pop
Warner Super Bowl in 2011. They finished the season with a 12-1
record.<br /> <br />A group of parents from Tustin said Crawford and then assistant
coach Richard Bowman offered players cash for big hits and more cash for
knocking an opponent out of playoff games against Yorba Linda, Santa Margarita
and San Bernardino last season. In one game, a running back from Santa Margarita
suffered a mild concussion and had to leave the game after he was hit by a Red
Cobras player. That player was paid for the hit after the game, said John
Zanelli, a former assistant coach.<br /> <br />Crawford, Bowman and Galentine have
consistently denied that any cash incentives were offered or paid. Thursday's
suspensions do not include Bowman since he is no longer coaching.<br /> <br />The
suspensions will last until the investigation is complete and a ruling is made,
said Josh Pruce, Pop Warner's National director of scholastics and media
relations. Pruce said he expects at least two investigators to be appointed in
the next few days, and he said he expects the investigation will take "at least
a few weeks."<br /> <br />Zanelli, who has been characterized by the now suspended
coach as a disgruntled parent who convinced other parents and players to lie
about the allegations, said he hopes the national investigators find enough
evidence to take strong action against Tustin and against Bobby Espinosa, the
Orange Empire Conference commissioner who earlier this year conducted a local
investigation and found "no evidence" of a bounty program.<br /> <br />"They should
get rid of the entire Tustin Pop Warner board and Bobby Espinosa," Zanelli said.
"This is one of the worst examples I've ever seen and a failure of leadership in
youth sports."<br /> <br />Galentine sent an email to Tustin Pop Warner board
members Thursday explaining that the suspensions had been handed
down.<br /> <br />"While it is with a heavy heart I deliver this news," Galentine
wrote, "the singular focus of our Board continues to be the safety and
well-being of our kids, and the continued success of TPW."<br /> <br />Former Tustin
president Mark Gutierrez was named acting president during Galentine's
absence.<br /> <br />Galentine ended his email by saying: "There is a group of kids
in your community, players on the 2011 Jr. Pee Wee Red Cobras, 2012 Pee Wee Red
Cobras, and all other Cobra Football and Cheer teams, that have been placed in
the cross fire of this issue by no choice of their own. Please continue to give
them all the love and support you can, and please extend your support to the
players and cheerleaders of ALL OEC associations... they deserve it as
well."<br /> <br />Over the past few months, Zanelli and six other sets of parents
and players confirmed to The Register that Crawford and Bowman helped a player
illegally alter his gear – making him weigh less — so he could be eligible to
meet Pop Warner weight requirements. They said Bowman was involved in a physical
altercation with an adult when the team was in Florida for the Super Bowl
tournament.<br /> <br />One parent said they saw Crawford give his son cash after a
big hit that knocked a Yorba Linda running back out of the game. The opposing
player later returned to the game.<br /> <br />Crawford is in his eighth year as a
Tustin coach.</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-80918197613777127822012-09-25T04:55:00.001-07:002012-09-25T04:55:25.146-07:00Pop Warner response to bounty talk? MixedPublished: Sept. 24, 2012
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mickadeit: Pop Warner response to bounty talk? Mixed</div>
<br />
<div>
<br />By FRANK MICKADEIT </div>
<br />
<div>
COLUMNIST / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Pop Warner youth football is at risk of fumbling away its national
franchise. The reaction from its national office Monday to the Tustin Red Cobras
bounty scandal seemed blasé, given the stakes, and the stakes are these: What
parent wants to entrust his or her kid's safety to an organization that doesn't
thoroughly and independently examine credible allegations that coaches paid
players to hurt opposing players?</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
But National Pop Warner on Monday punted to regional officials, not
demanding they look into the alleged money-for-injuries program that Keith
Sharon and I wrote about on Sunday. National merely said that if new parents
show up or regional officials decided to look into bounties, well, they'll be
happy to have a look.<br /> <br />"If people bring new evidence, the (Orange Empire
Conference) would be willing to reopen the investigation," said Josh Pruce, a
spokesman from the national office in Pennsylvania. "Until that time, it is the
O.E.C. who controls the investigation. If Wescon wants to investigate (and) then
talk to us, they certainly can do that."<br /> <br />Given that last summer's O.E.C.
investigation (headed by a guy who once embezzled from Pop Warner) talked to
most of the same coaches, parents and players we did and found no bounty program
existed, my confidence in the O.E.C. is not tremendously
high.<br /> <br />Fortunately, I got a much more serious response from the director
of the Wescon Region of Pop Warner, an intermediate-level body that regulates
Pop Warner in the Southwestern U.S.<br /> <br />"If that is the position of the
National Office, I will be seeking a special allocation for investigative
services to do an independent inquiry of this matter," Wescon region director
Mel Rapozo wrote me in an email Monday. "I agree that this warrants National
intervention. But please know that the Wescon Region will not wait. We will move
forward to look into this matter."<br /> <br />Well, good for Mel
Rapozo.<br /> <br />Keith and I are confident our sources were telling the truth.
(And in an unexpected corroboration of our original sources, a sixth 2011 Tustin
Red Cobras parent came forward Sunday to say her son confirmed there was a
bounty program.) But I don't expect Pop Warner to simply adopt our investigation
and mete out sanctions. I do expect it would reopen its own "investigation" and
bring in people with no agenda, no local baggage, to conduct it.<br /> <br />Pop
Warner talks a great game, at both the national and O.C. level. On the O.E.C.
web site, there's an 18-page set of By-laws," a 65-page "Administrative
Regulations" manual and a 27-page "Coaches Risk Management Handbook." They are
full of discussion of sportsmanship and safety.<br /> <br />Let's talk about safety.
As our story said, one of the Santa Margarita running backs targeted by the Red
Cobras was hit in a helmet-to-helmet tackle in the waning minutes of a
long-decided game last November, and a bounty was paid. The player had to be
helped off the field, suffered a concussion and had lingering headaches, his
father told us.<br /> <br />That same weekend, a player in another O.E.C. Pop Warner
game in Orange County broke his neck making a tackle. Out of that injury and
others, Pop Warner announced a new policy last summer. Full contact would be
limited at practices. No more full-speed, head-on tackling or blocking drills.
The national website even has a "Pop Warner Concussion Policy" that details what
coaches must do in the case of a concussion.<br /> <br />In a Daily Pilot story on
the new policy in June, an O.E.C. commissioner, Robert T. "Bobby" Espinosa, was
quoted saying, "We keep praying for him," referring to the player who broke his
neck. Weeks later, it was Espinosa who headed the O.E.C. investigation that said
no Tustin bounty system was in place and took no action.<br /> <br />Years ago I
went down the rabbit hole of Pop Warner for a series of columns and found a
clubby collection of coaches and administrators, many who have known each other
for years and have formed grudges and alliances that no newspaper could hope to
sort out or correct. As we've seen from Espinoza's continued reign, even legal
action doesn't keep Pop Warner from plugging along in its own insular
world.<br /> <br />The O.E.C. has a regular meeting of its board at 7 p.m. Tuesday
at the Brookhurst Community Center, 2271 W. Crescent Ave., Anaheim. It will be
interesting to see whether any parents attend and whether the O.E.C. has any
stomach to clean up its own mess.<br /> <br />Pop Warner says it has 425,000 kids
involved in youth football in 42 states. There are rival youth football
organizations it competes with for young gridders, not to mention rival youth
sports of all kinds. This story is getting national attention – all of the major
networks contacted us – and national Pop Warner has a lot to lose if it blows
this off.<br /> <br />Keith Sharon contributed to this report.<br /> <br />Mickadeit
writes Mon.-Fri. Contact him at 714-796-4994 or <a href="mailto:fmickadeit@ocregister.com">fmickadeit@ocregister.com</a></div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-50765201239942654262012-09-23T11:51:00.001-07:002012-09-23T11:51:27.644-07:00More on the Bounties in OC Pop Warner<div class="nextArticle">
<span>NOTHING PEE WEE ABOUT BOUNTIES ON KIDS</span></div>
<!-- start of ad tag --><!-- End Right Column --><!-- Begin Left Column -->
<br />
<div id="ContentLeft">
<div class="authorTxt" id="articleReporter">
<!--googleon: all--><span class="articleByline">By FRANK MICKADEIT</span><span class="articleCustom1">COLUMNIST</span><span class="articleSource"> / THE ORANGE
COUNTY REGISTER</span><br />
<br />
<!--googleoff: all--></div>
<div class="roundedBox" id="ArticleContentWrap">
<div class="ui-tabs-panel ui-corner-bottom ui-widget-content" id="article-read">
<!--googleon: all-->
The 2011 Tustin Red Cobras, one of America's elite youth football teams, put
bounties on the heads of opposing players. This is what a former coach and three
players emphatically told us. They were specific about names, places and
statements the top coaches made. One parent told us his son got cash for a hard
hit.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Three other Red Cobras coaches said just as emphatically there was no bounty
program. To believe these three coaches, you also have to believe that five
people made up a fantastical story out of whole cloth because they were
"disgruntled." Perhaps the back story will help you sort it out.<!-- start of ad tag --><br />
<!-- end articleExtras --><!--googleon: all-->
<b></b><br />
<b>Last spring, I</b> heard a rumor about excessive violence being encouraged
by coaches for the Red Cobras, which a few months earlier had gone to the Pop
Warner championship tourney in Florida. On Mother's Day, I met three men at a
Tustin restaurant and they laid out a story that, if true, sets a new low for
win-at-all-costs mentality in youth sports.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Two were fathers who had heard about the bounties from their sons after the
season. The third man, John Zanelli, said he had firsthand knowledge because he
was a Red Cobras assistant coach. The problem was, none of them wanted to go on
the record or allow their sons to. I told them we wouldn't publish otherwise.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli said he'd think about going on the record. I told him that while he
was doing so, it might be helpful if he committed to paper a chronology of
events. He did, and while I didn't see it for several months, he circulated it
among some Pop Warner parents. From there it found its way to the national Pop
Warner office in Pennsylvania. Zanelli's chronology is 6½ pages long,
single-spaced. A good portion of it deals with grievances other than the
bounties.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<b></b><br />
<b>The chronology in hand, national</b> Pop Warner asked Orange Empire
Conference officials to look into it. During this investigation six parents and
four players told an O.E.C. commissioner, Robert T. "Bobby" Espinosa, and one
other official about the bounties. Espinosa didn't believe them.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli told me that Espinosa told him that he didn't believe a bounty
program existed because two of the players who allegedly got money wouldn't talk
to him.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Those players didn't talk to Espinosa, Zanelli said, because of disagreements
between their respective parents about whether their sons should. Instead, in
two cases, the players were each represented before Espinosa by one parent.
Zanelli heard one of those two parents tell Espinosa directly that his son
actually received cash for a hard hit. But this statement, and the statements of
four other players with firsthand knowledge (and Zanelli), apparently were not
enough to convince Espinosa there had been a bounty program.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
This greatly upset Zanelli and some of the Red Cobras parents who had talked
to Espinosa. Some felt they'd put their sons at risk by telling the truth – and
now they were not being believed. Zanelli thinks that Espinosa was fearful of
even acknowledging there was a bounty program because it would be devastating
for Pop Warner, especially in light of the national outrage over the New Orleans
Saints bounty scandal.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Meanwhile, other internal Tustin Pop Warner politics were creating more bad
blood in town. The Tustin league repeatedly blocked Zanelli and other dissident
Red Cobras parents from forming their own team, which they wanted to do because
they were so disgusted with the bounty program and other activities on the Red
Cobras.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
During all this nastiness, last spring, Zanelli encountered one of the Tustin
Pop Warner officials at a Little League field. There is a dispute about who said
and did what to whom, but it resulted in Zanelli being suspended from Pop
Warner.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<b></b><br />
<b>Against this backdrop</b>, Zanelli two weeks ago finally agreed to tell
his story on the record. What seemed to make the difference now was that Zanelli
and the like-minded parents had run out of options for getting some redress of
their grievances through Pop Warner.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
When head coach Darrren Crawford and then-defensive coordinator Richard
Bowman claim Zanelli and the parents are making up the bounty program because
they are disgruntled, this is what they are referring to: Zanelli was suspended,
and he and the dissident parents initially didn't get their way when they tried
to form their own team.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Certainly, this might have contributed to finally making them willing to talk
to us or have their sons sign a statement. But would it compel them to conspire
among themselves to fabricate such a wild tale in the first place – and enlist
their kids? <i>Five sets of parents?</i><!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<b></b><br />
<b>Three of the players</b> agreed to talk to us after we assured them they
wouldn't be named, which is our policy when dealing with minors who may suffer
harassment if they are identified as witnesses. I met with Zanelli and one other
parent about three weeks ago. Zanelli spoke for attribution this time, and
repeated what he told me in May.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
I then scheduled interviews with three players.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
As I was relating this development to my editor a couple of weeks ago,
reporter Keith Sharon overheard. Until recently, Keith was a sports editor.
Turns out, he knew one of the Santa Margarita players who had been targeted. He
offered to contact the players' parents. With Keith's knowledge and the story
getting bigger, my editor and I decided it would be a good idea for Keith to
work on it with me.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli had supplied me with signed statements by two players detailing the
existence of a program. (Those statements had also been given to Pop Warner.)
But I wanted to look players in the eye and have them tell me in their own words
what they saw and heard.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
This they did. Keith and I met them at the Tustin restaurant at 2 p.m. last
Sunday.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
All three players, who are now 11 or 12, said they clearly remember when they
first heard about the bounty program from Crawford. Two said they heard him
introduce it at a practice; the other player said he first heard Crawford talk
about it at a film session. As for actual payments, one player said, "I saw the
(other) coaches give Coach Crawford the money and he gave it to (the player)."
They all said they heard about the program multiple times from Crawford and
Bowman.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
We talked for more than an hour. The players' fathers didn't interrupt or try
to put words in their mouths. Then, on Friday, the father of a fourth player
told Keith that his son actually received cash.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<b>Keith also tracked</b> down parents of kids allegedly targeted in the
bounty program. Reggie Scales' reaction was, "How the hell are you going to
allow this in Pop Warner?" It's ridiculous. It infuriates me. My son could have
been damaged for life."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
It fell to me to contact the accused coaches.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"Absolutely not, that is ridiculous," Crawford said when I asked whether
there had been a bounty program. "I've been cleared in three investigations.
It's amazing what disgruntled parents will put their kids through."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
He told me that on Monday. On Friday, after we'd talked to several more
parents and officials and word was getting around town that we were going to
publish a story, Crawford called Keith. This time, he said his memory of events
was hazy but some opposing players <i>had been</i> targeted and that he
<i>might</i> have given one of his players money, but that the targeting and the
money were not related and thus did not amount to a bounty program.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<b></b><br />
<b>As for Bowman</b>, at first he told me, "I don't even know what you are
talking about." Then he said Zanelli made up the allegations in retribution for
being suspended himself.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
"So there was no bounty program?" I asked Bowman.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"Never, dude, never," he said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"So the three players we talked to are lying?"<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"Absolutely lying," he said. "If those kids are saying money was paid, they
are absolutely lying. ... There's no way we'd pay to hurt anybody."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
As to the "three investigations" that Crawford said cleared him, the first
two were conducted by Tustin's own board or its representative and, according to
Zanelli, did not involve the bounty program. Espinosa and the O.E.C. conducted
the only Pop Warner probe into the bounties we've been able to find.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<b></b><br />
<b>I called Espinosa.</b> He said he interviewed several Tustin players and
parents but found "no evidence" of a bounty program. Keith and I, remember, had
just interviewed three of the four players Espinosa talked to, all of whom
unequivocally told us there had been a bounty program and that they had told
that to Espinosa.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
When I asked Espinosa what those players had told him, he said, "You know
what? I'm going to end this conversation now," and he hung up.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Espinosa and I had chatted some years ago after he was charged with
embezzling $50,000 from the Fullerton Pop Warner league in 2002 and 2003.
Espinosa pleaded no contest and was ordered to pay restitution of $16,875. He
did so, and court records show that what had been a felony was reduced to a
misdemeanor and, finally, in 2010, to an expungement.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Pop Warner must have been impressed. It elevated him to a commissioner.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Reporter Keith Sharon contributed to this article.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
Contact Mickadeit at 714-796-4994 or fmickadeit@ocregister.com<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all--><!--googleoff: all--></div>
</div>
</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-10886002916294355832012-09-23T11:46:00.001-07:002012-09-23T11:49:43.161-07:00Bounties in Orange County Pop Warner<div>
BOUNTIES SPLIT TUSTIN POP WARNER CLUB<!--starting of articleLeadContainer div--></div>
<br />
<div>
<!-- start of ad tag --><!-- End Right Column --><!-- Begin Left Column -->
<br />
<div id="ContentLeft">
<div class="authorTxt" id="articleReporter">
<!--googleon: all--><span class="articleByline">By KEITH SHARON and FRANK
MICKADEIT</span><span class="articleSource"> / THE ORANGE COUNTY
REGISTER</span><br />
<!--googleoff: all--><br /></div>
<div class="roundedBox" id="ArticleContentWrap">
<div class="ui-tabs-panel ui-corner-bottom ui-widget-content" id="article-read">
<!--googleon: all-->
Four months before the world heard about the New Orleans Saints' bounty
scandal, two Pop Warner football coaches in Tustin began offering cash to their
10- and 11-year-old players for making big hits and knocking opponents out of
games, according to an assistant coach, a parent, interviews with players and
signed statements by two players.<br />
<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
Tustin Red Cobras head coach Darren Crawford and assistant coach Richard
Bowman, whose powerhouse squad went undefeated during the 2011 regular season,
told their team to target specific players on the youth football teams from
Yorba Linda, Santa Margarita and San Bernardino, said then-assistant coach John
Zanelli and three players interviewed by the Register.<!-- end articleExtras --><!--googleon: all--><br />
<br />
All the other coaches and Tustin Pop Warner league officials deny a bounty
program took place. Crawford said they did target opposing players but never
told their team to injure them and never offered any payment for hitting or
injuring them.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
One of the targeted players, an 11-year-old running back from the Santa
Margarita Stallions, suffered a concussion after he was hit by a Red Cobras
player in the Pop Warner Orange Bowl last November. <br />
<br />
The player who delivered the
hit was paid by Crawford after the game, Zanelli said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
The Register is not naming any of the players because of their ages.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Tustin league president Pat Galentine, who was an assistant coach for the
2011 Red Cobras, emphatically denied any mention of money by Crawford or Bowman.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"At no time was a bounty program ever discussed or was there an exchange of
money for anything," Galentine said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
However, the parent of one of the Red Cobras players said money was paid to
his son after the playoff game against Yorba Linda.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"My son said he had won the prize," said the father, whose name is not being
used to protect the identity of his son. "He had a good, clean hit. The kids
voted his play as the play of the game. He showed me one $20 bill. He said the
coaches, plural, gave it to him."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
That parent said he had told Galentine about his son receiving money in a
phone call Friday morning. But when reached by The Register, Galentine said he
was having difficulty with his phone and didn't hear what the parent said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Reached by phone this week, Crawford and Bowman denied the existence of a
bounty program. Crawford, still a football coach in the Tustin Pop Warner
program, said the parents who made the allegations are "disgruntled" and that
they forced their children to lie. Bowman, who is taking a year off from
coaching, said the parents and players are lying.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"It's amazing what disgruntled parents will put their kids through," Crawford
said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Late Friday, Crawford said he is having trouble remembering whether he gave
any player money after the Yorba Linda game. He said, "Maybe I did give him
money to go to the snack bar." But he was sure he didn't give any money as a
part of a bounty program.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Crawford said he knows for sure he did not give any player money after the
Santa Margarita or San Bernardino games.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Officials from the Orange Empire Conference, which oversees Pop Warner
football in this region, investigated the allegations, interviewing coaches,
parents and players from the Red Cobras and decided not to hand out any
punishments or sanctions.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
O.E.C. commissioner Robert T. "Bobby" Espinosa said he found "no evidence" of
a bounty program after hearing and reading statements from six parents and four
players that alleged Crawford and Bowman offered between $20 and $50 during
three playoff games at the end of the 2011 Junior Pee Wee football season.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Two players who allegedly took money from the coaches did not agree to be
interviewed by the O.E.C. The father of one of those players, the same father
who told The Register his son had been paid, was among the parents interviewed
by Espinosa. Zanelli said he was in the room when that father told Espinosa his
son had been paid.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Some parents of the targeted players are outraged.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Tara Yocam, the mother of a targeted Santa Margarita player, said, "The
(Tustin) coaches' behavior is appalling. I wouldn't allow my son to play for
those Neanderthals. They're low-lifes. I'm embarrassed for them. It's immature
parenting, trying to win at all cost. Where is the sense of right and wrong? It
shows a complete lack of integrity."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Bitterness, accusations and bad blood are not uncommon in Pop Warner
football, or other youth sports. In Tustin, both Bowman and Zanelli (who are on
opposite sides of the bounty allegations) acknowledge each of them was<b>
</b>suspended by their league for confrontations they've had with other parents.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Allegations that coaches paid children to knock others out of the game make
this case unique.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
An official at Pop Warner's national office in Pennsylvania said he was made
aware of the Tustin allegations, but because the incidents occurred at Southern
California games, it was the O.E.C.,'s responsibility to conduct a hearing and
hand out punishment if necessary.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Josh Pruce, Pop Warner's national director of scholastics and media
relations, said he can't remember a bounty scandal ever happening in their
program.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"There shouldn't be that issue in Pop Warner football," Pruce said. "There is
no place for it. The kids are out there to learn football. There is no place for
a bounty system."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli, three players and two parents met with The Register last Sunday and
offered detailed descriptions of the Red Cobras' bounty program.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
They said Crawford was stung by his team's loss to Saddleback Valley in the
2010 Pop Warner Orange Bowl, and was determined to win the Pop Warner Orange
Bowl in the 2011 season, advance through the playoffs and win the Pop Warner
Super Bowl in Florida.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli and two of the players said the first mention of money came during a
team huddle near the end of football practice on Monday, Oct. 24, 2011.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
When Crawford first mentioned he would pay money for big hits and knocking
opponents out of games, many of the Tustin Red Cobras shouted excitedly,
energized by the prospect of earning cash, the players said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"We were like, 'OK! We're going to go hit them! Wow!'" one player said. A
second player said, "When we were after practice, getting our gear off, we were
guessing who was going to get the money."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
That week the Red Cobras were preparing for their second playoff game of
2011. They would be facing a good team from Yorba Linda. During that week's
practice, Crawford told the players to target particular players on the Yorba
Linda team.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"Crawford was saying, basically, they were going to give kids cash for the
biggest hits in the game, and Bowman said if they hit certain players, they
would get more money," Zanelli said. "One was No. 42, and there were a couple of
others as well."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"As the practices went on that week, Bowman in particular would reiterate
(the bounty program) to the kids time and again," Zanelli said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
During an Oct. 27 film session at Crawford's house, Crawford explained how
the winners of the cash would be determined, three players said. Crawford told
the team that they could all vote, and the player with the most votes would get
money. Crawford told them the most money could be won if the opponents' best
player had to leave the game, they said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Galentine, who said he attended every film session, said the coaches made no
mention of money or bounties.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
On game day, Oct. 29, the Red Cobras were going through their pre-game
tackling drills. If a player executed a good warm-up hit, Bowman would yell,
"'That will get you money,'" a player said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
After the game, which the Red Cobras won 28-6, Zanelli and the players said
Crawford gathered the team on the sideline and asked for a show of hands to vote
for the best and second-best hits of the game.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Then Crawford asked the assistant coaches to pitch in to pay the players who
won. Zanelli said he and another assistant coach did not contribute to the
bounty fund.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"It wasn't right," Zanelli said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli and one of the players said they saw Crawford, who was standing near
the Tustin sideline after the conclusion of the Yorba Linda game, give cash to
the player who got the most votes.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
The players said they were caught up in the competitive spirit and didn't
consider whether it was right or wrong to accept money for great hits or even
hurting an opposing player. One player said: "I was so excited, I didn't think
that much about it."<br />
<br />
The next week, before the playoff game against Santa Margarita, the Tustin
coaches targeted at least three opposing players, Zanelli and the players said.
At the Oct. 31 practice, the numbers of the Santa Margarita targets were taped
to a Tustin tackling sled.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"It was a matter of knocking them out of the game," one of the players said.
"Now that I look back, I know it was wrong."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
The players said there was now so much talk among the Red Cobras about the
money that Crawford told them, "Don't go bragging about this to anybody."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
On Nov. 4, the Red Cobras played Santa Margarita in the Pop Warner Orange
Bowl at Laguna Hills High School. The winner would be one victory away from
qualifying to go to Florida.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
In the days leading up to the game, Zanelli said he told Crawford he didn't
think the bounty program was a good idea. He said Crawford told him, "I hear
you. I'll talk to Rich (Bowman)." After that, Zanelli said, Bowman was more
subdued during practice drills.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Still, Zanelli and the players said, several Santa Margarita players were
targeted, including the quarterback and the running backs. And on game day,
during pre-game warm-ups, Bowman tried to get the players fired up by yelling,
"Do you want that money?"<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Tustin had a 32-6 lead in the fourth quarter, but some of its best players
were still in the game. On an off-tackle play, a Santa Margarita running back
and a Tustin defender collided. It was so violent, Zanelli recalled, "There was
a gasp from the crowd."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
A videotape of the game shows a helmet-to-helmet collision and the
11-year-old Santa Margarita player goes down. The stadium announcer says, "A big
hit" with emphasis on <i>big</i>. The Santa Margarita player is seen lying on
the ground. The Tustin player who made the hit tries to help him up, but the
Santa Margarita player wobbles and falls again.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
According to witnesses and participants, a doctor ran onto the field along
with Santa Margarita coaches, and the game was delayed several minutes until the
player was helped off the field.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
Reggie Scales, the father of the injured player, was one of the coaches who
went on the field to help. Scales said the doctor diagnosed his son with a mild
concussion, and the boy did not return to the game. Scales said his son had
headaches for more than a month after the hit.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"This kid speared him. Hit him right in the head," Scales said. "It was a
helmet-to-helmet hit."<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
After the game, the Tustin players didn't vote for the best hit. As coaches
and kids walked to the postgame awards ceremony, Zanelli said he saw Crawford
give money directly to the player who made the game's big hit. Another player
said he was told by Crawford that he also would be receiving money for a big
hit, but the coach never gave him the money.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Tustin now had to beat a San Bernardino team in the Wescon Regional Finals to
determine the Junior Pee Wee champion for the western United States and the
right to go to Florida. The bounty program became "more subdued, covert," in the
week leading up to that game, Zanelli said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli and some players said that the talk of money was only between
Crawford, Bowman and a few of the star players on the team. "They started
concealing the program," Zanelli said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
On Nov. 11, Tustin beat San Bernardino 34-0. Zanelli and the players
interviewed said they didn't know whether<b> </b>money was handed out after that
game, but Zanelli said Crawford told the coaches there would be no such program
in Florida.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
On Dec. 4, the Tustin Red Cobras beat the Worchester (Mass.) Vikings 40-6.
Then, in the semifinal game on Dec. 7, the Red Cobras were beaten by the Beacon
House (Washington, D.C.) Falcons 12-8. Tustin's season was over.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
In the aftermath, Zanelli and six other parents from the Tustin team left Pop
Warner and, with parents of 15 other boys, formed a team that now plays in a
rival league. But not without a fight. The Tustin board wouldn't allow Zanelli's
new team to play under the Tustin umbrella.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Jeff Wright, a Tustin board member, said he believes Zanelli, parents and
players made up the story of the bounty program to use as leverage in an effort
to force the league to allow them to form their own
team.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli also took to the league allegations about the coaches falsifying the
weights of the players (players were required to weigh just under 100 pounds at
the end of the season) and the coaches fighting during their trip to Florida.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
The league investigated and agreed with some of Zanelli's allegations and
suspended Bowman for half a season and put Crawford on probation.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
For almost six months of haggling between the league and Zanelli, "He never
mentioned the bounty," Wright said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
Zanelli acknowledged that initially he kept quiet about the bounties. He said
he felt bad that he, as an assistant coach, hadn't done more to stop it. And he
had another motivation for staying silent for as long as he did.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
"I was concerned the bounty would bring down the entire Tustin organization,"
Zanelli said.<!--googleoff: all--><br />
<!--googleon: all-->
<br />
<b>Contact the writer:</b> <a href="mailto:ksharon@ocregister.com">ksharon@ocregister.com</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-83955466464935213222012-09-06T16:46:00.000-07:002012-09-06T16:46:18.124-07:00Junior All American Sister Chapter Irvine Chargers in the News<div>
Irvine Chargers shine in classroom, too<br />League president Mike Filia stresses academics. </div>
<br />
<div>
By TIM BURT / The Orange County Register</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Irvine Charger football players are not only doing well on the field, but
in the classroom.<br /> <br />League president Mike Filia went to visit two of the
teams, the Clinic Blue and Future League squads last week, presenting patches
for jerseys and stickers for helmets to those players who are scholar
athletes.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Irvine Chargers president Mike Filia talks to the 9-10 Clinic Blue team
about the importance of grades.</div>
<br />
<div>
<br /> <br />Filia planned to meet with all the teams, one week before the
start of the season before practices at Heritage Park.<br /> <br />Most of the
Irvine Chargers teams open up on Saturday at Irvine Stadium with the first game
starting at 8 a.m. and the last one at 7 p.m.<br /> <br />"This is a great program
that Junior All-American has because it gets the kids used to what they're going
to have to go up against in high school," Filia said. "Right now, you are given
an opportunity to play Irvine Charger football because your mom and dad paid for
it."<br /> <br />But if athletes don't keep up their grades in high school, they
don't get to continue to play sports, he pointed out.<br /> <br />Filia said he has
challenged former players, some who are in high school, to improve their grades,
and it paid off.<br /> <br />"I know this program works and there is a benefit to
the kids," Filia said.<br /> <br />Filia keeps track of players on the
seventh-eighth grade level through progress reports.<br /> <br />Coaches in the
league also talk of the importance of grades.<br /> <br />"I have seen kids improve
their grades because of the influence of a coach and we have a lot of coaches
who went to college," Filia said.<br /> <br />Filia said he reads almost 300 report
cards every year.<br /> <br />"I want to know them not only as a player but as a
citizen in the classroom," said Filia, now in his ninth year as
president.<br /> <br />About 90 to 95 percent of the players qualified for the
stickers.<br /> <br />"We like them to have at least a 2.0 GPA," Filia said. "Kids
in this football program always have better grades in the fall vs. any other
time because with football, the kids have a program. The kids go home from
school, do their homework, attend practice, go home to eat and go to bed.
"</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-6209326216401284362012-08-31T08:06:00.002-07:002012-08-31T08:06:50.094-07:00Heatstroke deaths prompt new high school football rules <div>
As summers get
hotter, coaches take greater care in high heat and humidity, especially in the
Southeast.<br /> <br /> <br />August 31, 2012<br />MARIETTA, Ga. — The August afternoon
was a merciful one. The sky above Marietta High School was overcast, and by 3:30
p.m., temperatures hovered in the low 80s as football practice began.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Still, like high school football coaches all over Georgia, Marietta's
coaches were leaving little to chance.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Responsible for the health of the 100 students on the field, athletic
trainer Jeff Hopp stood by a $2,500 sophisticated temperature gauge on the
sidelines to measure the heat, humidity and solar radiation. He set up water
stations and every 15 minutes or so coaches made the athletes stop and
drink.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
On the pavement above the fields, Hopp opened a white canopy, and under it,
he set up a large black plastic bathtub filled with water and ice. If a player
showed signs of heatstroke, the tub would be his first stop before an ambulance
arrived.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Since the mid-1990s, summer football practice, especially the preseason
tradition of two sessions a day, has turned more dangerous for high school
athletes. From 1994 to 2009, the average number of high school football players
who died every year from heatstroke tripled to three from one in the preceding
15-year period, according to a recent analysis of high school heat-related
deaths. Last year, seven boys died.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Research suggests that two factors are converging to increase mortality:
rising obesity among high school football players and hotter, more humid summers
as the climate changes. And while Hurricane Isaac drenched other parts of the
South this week, it brought little relief in Marietta, where thunderstorms were
offset by temperatures that stayed in the high 80s.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Recognition is growing of the potentially profound health effects of
climate change. Tropical diseases are spreading north from their normal
geography. In Maine, public health officials are seeing Lyme disease more often,
as the warmer summers make northern New England more hospitable for ticks. In
climate adaptation plans, states such as California have included public health
initiatives, including opening more air-conditioned cooling stations.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Georgia has had the most deaths of any state among high school football
players, with eight from 1994 to 2011. Now, along with six other states, Georgia
has issued practice plans to avoid heat exertion that all high school football
teams must follow or face sanctions. The new rules call for teams to acclimatize
players to the heat, as opposed to the old approach of drilling hard from the
start of preseason, often for four hours a day and in full pads.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The new rules in Georgia, Arkansas and elsewhere do not mention climate
change, but they amount to a detailed response to a public health problem
exacerbated by rising temperatures. The rules show how communities can adapt to
climate change, even without overtly acknowledging it, once they understand
what's at stake.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"You can discuss the new rules as player safety, because if you bring up
climate change, all of a sudden, it becomes political," said Andrew Grundstein,
lead author of the football mortality study and professor of geography at
University of Georgia. "But as a climatologist, I'm really pleased that states
are starting to implement the rules because as you start seeing more hot days, I
think it's smart policy."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
In Georgia, coaches prefer not to discuss climate change. But to Patti
James of Little Rock, Ark., the heatstroke her son Will suffered in August 2010,
during a three-week stretch of 100-degree days, drove home new realities.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"We got the clue that every summer is going to be really hot," James said,
adding that there have been more than 24 days with 100-degree temperatures in
Arkansas this year. "This is becoming the norm in the South, and we can't do
what we did 40 years ago. I'm so tired of old men coming up to me and saying,
'We never got to drink water when I played football.'"</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Two days after Will James collapsed at his school, another 16-year-old,
Tyler Davenport, crumpled during football practice in the small town of Lamar,
Ark. The boys were brought to the same hospital in Little Rock, where the
families got to know each other. Both boys had liver damage and were put in
medically induced comas. Will survived. Eight weeks after the day his body
temperature shot up to 108.5 degrees, Tyler died.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"When I say my son had heatstroke, people nod. But when I say he was on
dialysis for three weeks and a coma for a week, people are like, 'What?'" James
said. "There's got to be education on all fronts."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The recent push for new football practice rules has emerged after the
deaths of players and the publication of research like Grundstein's.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
His study shows that from 1980 to 2009, most of the 58 deaths occurred in
the Southeast, where heat and humidity form an oppressive mix. Athletes died
mostly during morning practices, considered safer because of the relative
coolness. But humidity is higher then.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The nearly 2-degree rise in global temperatures since the late 19th century
has contributed to "roughly 7% higher absolute humidity," said Steven Sherwood,
director of the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New South
Wales in Sydney, Australia.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"This means that a 1-degree temperature rise from global warming will have
as much effect on athletes training in very humid conditions as would a 3- or
4-degree rise from normal weather variations," Sherwood said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The majority of the students who died were linemen, who tend be overweight.
And they died during the first week of preseason practice, usually in August,
when most students are immediately thrown into two-a-day practices, running
hours of plays in helmets and full pads, ostensibly to identify the fittest,
most tenacious athletes.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"Football is a tough sport, but these kids aren't coming into the preseason
as fit as you think they are, and they're not as acclimated to heat and
uniforms," said Michael Bergeron, executive director of the National Youth
Sports Health & Safety Institute and professor of pediatrics at the
University of South Dakota. "You can't condition someone in a hurry, but you can
hurt them a lot in one workout."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.
adopted rules to reduce heat exertion years ago, but high school sports lack a
national organization with enforcement authority. As a result, high school
reforms happen state by state, often coach by coach, said Douglas Casa, chief
operating officer at the University of Connecticut's Korey Stringer Institute,
named after the NFL player who died of heatstroke in 2001.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"It's a long, grueling process with the states because you run up against
this idea about practices that 'This is the way we've always done it and we
don't want to change the way we do it,'" Casa said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The Korey Stringer Institute worked with Arkansas, Georgia and the five
other states to develop their rules. Coaches sign on when they discover that
everyone must adhere to the same standards, so that no one gains a competitive
advantage.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The new rules in Georgia change but do not abolish preseason practices in
high heat and humidity. They require high school football programs to
acclimatize players in preseason. If schools hold two practices on one day, they
can hold only one practice the next day.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Desmond Bobbett, watching his son practice at Marietta, said he was pleased
with Georgia's new rules.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"Even if you're in shape, the heat is a different animal," Bobbett said, as
his son raced back and forth with teammates on the field. "I don't think this is
coddling at all. There is no such thing as too safe when it comes to making sure
kids don't die."</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-69410738383273736412012-08-29T15:51:00.001-07:002012-08-29T15:51:05.292-07:00Student Dies After Being Injured During Flag Football<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 22.5pt;">Student dies after being
injured during flag football </span><span style="font-size: 22.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong>
<br />
<div>
<div dir="ltr" id="IncrediOriginalFontSize" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;">
<div class="WordSection1">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">Posted:
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 11:00 am | <i>Updated: 11:28 am, Tue May 22, 2012.
</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><a href="mailto:Student%20dies%20after%20being%20injured%20during%20flag%20football" title="mailto:Student dies after being injured during flag football">Student
dies after being injured during flag football</a></span></b><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;"> By
Seria Dassing, <a href="mailto:sdassing@etcnonline.com" title="mailto:sdassing@etcnonline.com"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">sdassing@etcnonline.com</span></a>
Longview News-Journal <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Hawkins
Police Chief Ron Voda confirmed 15-year-old Jacob Gatlin, a Hawkins ISD student,
died at Dallas Children’s Hospital Thursday morning from an injury received
during an athletics program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Voda
said Gatlin was playing flag football Tuesday when he and another <span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">player both jumped up for a
pass and bumped heads</span>. School officials made Gatlin sit out. They
observed him for a period of time. Voda said Gatlin wanted to keep playing, but
was not allowed to do so. Later in the day, he went to the nurse with a bad
headache and she sent him home. After going home, Gatlin’s condition worsened
and an ambulance was called. He was taken to the hospital and then flown by
helicopter to Dallas Children’s Hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Gatlin
died Thursday morning from a fractured skull and subdural hematoma, according to
the Dallas County Medical Examiner. His family said he had a concussion,
swelling in the brain, and a ruptured artery that caused the bleed
out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">The
other boy was injured, but his injury is not thought to be serious. Hawkins ISD
adopted a formal head-injury protocol earlier this year, and Superintendent Dan
Rose said all protocols were followed. Rose also said everyone involved with the
athletic program knows the steps to follow and the protocol for injuries. The
athletics class was mainly a passing drill, also called 7 on
7.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Superintendent
Dan Rose issued a statement this morning regarding the death of Jacob
Gatlin:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">“Hawkins
Schools are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our high school students
yesterday. We were notified by the family Thursday morning that Jacob Gatlin, a
15 year old freshman student, had died from injuries he sustained while playing
flag football in his athletics class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Jacob
was a hard working student and dedicated young man, who enjoyed his school
friends, was an active member of the local Boy Scout troop, had become a member
of our athletic program at the high school, and was playing summer
baseball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Our
entire faculty and student body join his family in mourning the loss of this
bright and energetic young man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Currently,
we are in the process of meeting the needs of family, faculty and our students,
all of whom are deeply saddened and dealing with the loss of this fine young
man. During the last few days, we have had counselors and clergy available for
students and staff to help them cope with this tragic and difficult situation.
We appreciate the concern and respect that the media has shown to the student’s
family and to our school as we have worked to meet the needs of those we
serve.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Superintendent
Rose said he really appreciates the youth ministers from area churches that have
been on campus during lunch periods to help the students. Spaces have been
designated for counseling in the library, and counselors and principals have
been in the halls to talk to students or staff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">“The
kids are making a memory book. They are writing poems, and expressing their
feelings,” added Rose. “His death is very difficult for everyone to deal
with-not just the students, but the teachers, principals, coaches, and
everyone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Update:
Hawkins Police Chief Ron Voda said the Medical Examiner ruled Gatilin’s death an
accident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">Donations
can be made at any Bank Texas location. The family hopes to set up a scholarship
fund in Jacob’s memory. Visitation will be Tuesday, May 22, 2012, from 5 p.m. To
8 p.m. At Beaty Funeral Home in Hawkins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 125%; margin-left: 7.5pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 125%;">The
obit and funeral arrangements are listed on line and in print this week in a
separate section. A tribute to Jacob from his scoutmaster is also posted online
with a picture and will be in our printed issue this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-37107992112650929512012-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:002012-08-16T11:04:04.386-07:00Texas Pee Wee league bars youth<br /><br />
Updated: August 16, 2012, 11:55 AM ET<br />ESPN.com news services<br /><br /><br />
A Texas Pee Wee football league has ruled that a 300-pound seventh-grader is too big to play, according to Dallas-Fort Worth television station KDFW Fox 4's website.<br />
<br />
Elijah Earnhardt, 12, was informed this past weekend by the Mesquite Pee Wee Football Association that he is not allowed to play in the league, according to the report posted on MyFoxDFW.com.<br />
<br />
The league's rule is that any seventh-grader weighing more than 135 pounds is barred and must play in his school's league, according to the report.<br />
<br />
But Earnhardt, who is more than 6 feet tall, and his mother, Cindy, told the website that they still are pushing for admission into the league.<br />
<br />
"I don't want to play in school right now because it's people that's had experience and I want to get some experience first and then start playing," Elijah Earnhardt told the website. "I just want to play because my teammates are my friends -- I know them. I don't want to go play for somebody else I don't know."<br />
<br />
Cindy Earnhardt told MyFoxDFW.com that she plans to protest the league's decision.<br />
"For him to come home and just cry and go to his room and say, 'I give up,' I'm not going to let him give up," she said. "This is his dream. This is what he wants to do. And I'm going to make it happen."<br />
Elijah Earnhardt's coach, Marc Wright, also will protest the decision, according to the report. He cited multiple players within the league who are over the 135-pound limit.<br />
<br />
"If they're over 135, they have to wear a symbol on their helmet, which is the X," Wright told the website. "So if they're an X-man they have to play offensive line, defensive line only."<br />
<br />
Mesquite Pee Wee Football Association president Ronnie Henderson told the website that he sympathizes with Earnhardt but maintained that they must adhere to the league's rule.<br />
<br />
"The coach over there should have known this," Henderson said. "He's been told this. He's been to our meetings. He knows this. I don't know where the misunderstanding was. We hate it. I don't like it for the kid or the parents."Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-57889400437899615722012-06-29T11:44:00.002-07:002012-06-29T11:44:14.200-07:00Parents Accuse Snoop Dogg Of Pee Wee Football Sabotage<h2 class="sub-title article">
Parents say rapper lured football players to his
team with gifts, pimped-out bus.</h2>
<div class="byline">
By Gil Kaufman </div>
<div class="group topgroup">
<div class="group-ab">
<div class="group-b">
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
It's the biggest scandal to hit Southern California Pee Wee football since,
well, ever. Some parents in Los Angeles are accusing Snoop Dogg of using his
fame and a tricked-out team bus to lure players to his new football league,
which is threatening to wipe out decades of youth football history in the
area.</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
The peeved parents claim that because of Snoop's star power, the once mighty
Rowland High School football program in Rowland Heights, California has
dwindled, shrinking from nine squads of 5-14 year olds to just three, while its
formerly sturdy cheerleading squad has atrophied from 80 girls to just nine,
according to a <i>Los Angeles Times</i> report.</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
"I'm mad at Coach Snoop," 10-year-old Rowland player Xavier Bernal said. "He
was so cool; he told me to play my heart out and to play everything I've got.
But now I just want to ask him, why did he take all our players?"</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
Two years ago, when his sons were of age to join the team, Snoop volunteered
to be the Rowland Raiders' "daddy coach," earning headlines around the world for
his role as the squad's offensive coordinator. Last year, the star allure of the
rapper's presence on the field as both offensive and defensive coordinator
helped him recruit star players from all over the area to join the team, which
was undefeated under the guidance of its quarterback, Snoop's older son.</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
But when he broke off from the Orange County Junior All-American Football
Conference last month to form his own conference (see <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1506550/snoop-has-big-plans-youth-football-league.jhtml">"Commissioner
Snoop Has Big Plans For Youth Football League"</a>), the Rowland team suffered,
as did the Long Beach and Compton teams.</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
According to disgruntled parents and kids, the rapper, who is an alum of his
hometown's Long Beach Poly Junior Jackrabbits, lured players to his new Snoop
Youth Football League conference with gifts and the promise of riding on a team
bus that is tricked out with TVs for watching game tape and a bumping stereo
that pumped out his old team's theme song, "Drop It Like It's Hot."</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
Now, as the rapper has made noise about expanding the league beyond its first
eight Southern California teams, frustrated parents and coaches — who admit that
Snoop was very generous as a coach, lavishing gifts like new letterman jackets
and jerseys and scooters on his players — are accusing him of sabotage and
spreading misinformation. Snoop's camp has denied the allegations, saying his
new league will do a better job serving the cash-strapped urban youth, many of
whom couldn't afford the $175 per child league fees and might otherwise fall
victim to gangs and drugs. "We should make it that easy to be involved in
football and academics," Snoop said. (Representatives told the paper that they
never turn away kids who can't afford the fees.)</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
So, Snoop started his own league, with a $100 fee for the first child from
each family, half price for any others, with cleats and pads included.</div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
Several parents and coaches said the rapper's heavy recruitment has hurt
local schools, threatening their football programs, including that of the Junior
Jackrabbits, who may have to fold after the upcoming season.</div>
<div class="article-body">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-body">
</div>
<div class="article-body">
Undaunted, Snoop is forging ahead with his league, staging a benefit concert
to raise money for it on August 25 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles with the
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ice Cube. He has also signed up such corporate
sponsors as cell phone provider Amp'd Mobile, and is starring in the movie
"Coach Snoop." And, not that it's much consolation to them now, but his Rowland
Raiders team from last year will soon have their own video game.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-18885526039608525542012-06-28T08:49:00.002-07:002012-06-28T08:50:00.417-07:00Baseball Coach Smoking Pot with Players<a href="http://on.aol.com/video/517406182/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cpopular-videos-5min-main%7Csec4_lnk1%7C174063">http://on.aol.com/video/517406182/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cpopular-videos-5min-main%7Csec4_lnk1%7C174063</a>Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5589080293731976868.post-79370825326712443452012-06-13T10:01:00.000-07:002012-06-13T10:44:24.295-07:00Pop Warner's New Rule<div>
Ahead of season, Pop Warner renews safety emphasis</div>
<br />
<div>
By Jamie McCracken, USA TODAY</div>
<br />
<div>
In an attempt to cut down on concussion-related injuries, Pop Warner
football announced Tuesday that it was banning head-to-head hits and limiting
contact in practice to 40 minutes a day. But already there is debate among
coaches about whether the measures go too far or not far enough.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I'm not as much concerned about my kid who has played for three years, but
I am concerned about the kid who has never played before," said John Jackson,
who is a coach in the Los Angeles suburb of Redondo Beach and was a wide
receiver for the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears from 1990 to 1996.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I question if 40 minutes of contact drills is enough time for me to teach
the kid the technique properly, because we got limited practice time anyway,"
said Jackson, who has a 12-year-old son in the league.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Edward Marshall, the father of three sons, is the co-founder of the Central
Oklahoma Pop Warner League, and his concerns include policing the rule changes
among 7,500 coaches. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I don't know if it's enough changes right now. That's probably something I
will find out when practice starts," Marshall said. "It might not be enough,
because it's hard to monitor every coach to make sure that they're doing that in
practice."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Pop Warner executive director Jon Butler said the new regulations could be
just a start as more information becomes available. "Football, in terms of
sports, is very capable of evolving and changing appropriately," Butler said.
"If new research comes out, we will continue to change our rules to keep our
kids as safe as we can.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"The other thing that gets very interesting is that Pop Warner gets very
self-policing, because nobody wants another program to get an advantage."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The policies come after studies detailing the risks of concussions in
football as well as lawsuits filed by more than 2,000 retired players against
the NFL alleging the league did not protect them.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
At an advisory board meeting Tuesday in Chicago, the nation's largest and
oldest youth football, cheer and dance organization also announced that no
full-speed head-on blocking and no tackling drills that involve players lining
up more than 3 yards apart would be allowed.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"The impact of head-to-head contact causes the most severe concussions, so
we felt it was imperative that Pop Warner take a proactive approach and limit
contact in practices," said Julian Bailes, chairman of the Pop Warner medical
advisory board. "We're trying to take away all at once the head-to-head contact
in practice."</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
The rules also state that only two linemen in stances immediately across
from each other will be permitted and coaches are allowed to have full-speed
drills in which players approach each other at an angle but not straight ahead
into each other.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Marshall and other coaches support the changes and long-standing rules as
well as Pop Warner's attempts to make the game safer for kids. </div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
"I love that there's a weight limit, because I have a son that's 7 years
old but he's only approximately 40 pounds — maybe 45 pounds at the most — and I
just don't feel comfortable putting him against a kid that's 125 pounds, even
though they're the same age and in the same grade," Marshall said.</div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
Mike Webb, executive commissioner of Los Angeles County Pop Warner, said
the new rules were a good compromise and a balanced ratio. "You want to have the
appropriate balance between instruction," he said, "but also make certain that
safety always comes first."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
----------------</div>
<div>
"Safety always comes first"?!?! This is the quote from an executive commissioner of Pop Warner? Safety always comes first when Pop Warner passes a rule to allow 5 and 6 year old children to play tackle football and helmet manufacturers don't even make a helmet that fits the majority of children at age 5 and 6. Safety always comes first. Safety always comes when Pop Warner no longer mandates yearly helmet reconditioning so Pop Warner can give out a helmet that is 10 years old and not certified for use. Safety always comes first. It certainly does. </div>Bears Junior All American Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15361462840803314945noreply@blogger.com0