Texas high school sports officials showed leniency Thursday after a former assistant football coach denied ordering two players to blindside a referee but acknowledged making comments that might have unintentionally instigated the hit.
In issuing final penalties for the Sept. 4 incident, the University Interscholastic League suspended the former assistant, Mack Breed of John Jay High School in San Antonio, for the rest of the school year and placed him on two years of probation. Breed could have been suspended for up to three years, but officials said his willingness to testify helped reduce the sanctions.
Coach Gary Gutierrez was given a public reprimand and two years of probation, and the two players involved were suspended from all sports and other extracurricular activities for the rest of the academic year.