DENVER (AP) — A Colorado high school cheerleading coach was fired Friday after videos surfaced showing him pushing cheerleaders down in splits.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg said Ozell Williams was dismissed from his job at East High School.
"I have watched all of the videos," Boasberg said Friday. "As a superintendent, and as a father, and as an athlete, they are deeply disturbing. What happened was wrong."
The videos show eight cheerleaders repeatedly being pushed into splits while their arms are held up by teammates. In one video, a girl appears to cry out in pain and repeatedly asks her coach to "please stop.