Photo Credit: Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News
Mahopac head coach Kevin Downes has stepped down after his players were caught sending out racist tweets after losing to Mount Vernon in the Section One Class AA semifinals. Eight players were suspended after the school noticed the players tweeting racist remarks after the loss. Some of the tweets refer to the Mount Vernon team as “monkeys out of their cages”.
Downes, who is African American, was disappointed with his players and their lack of judgment. He said he took some time to make his decision because he did not want to react with his emotions. He said, “I was kind of heartbroken over all the stuff that happened — not just the comments that were made but the 200-plus times those comments were liked, favorited and retweeted (on Twitter). It was tough, and it’s been tough on my kids.”
What is more disturbing is parents of players on both teams were seen fighting in the stands during the game. It is sad that in 2014 remarks like this are still made. Coach Downes is right in his feelings that more people should be outraged and those parents should be ashamed that their children would say these things. We like to think that we have come a long way since the Civil Rights Era, but when things like this happens, it shows we have a lot further to go. Downes will get another job, but his decision to stick to his values is something we could all learn from.
