School basketball team has championship stripped from them in disgrace for throwing TORTILLAS at opposition from predominantly Latino area
A California high school basketball team has been stripped of its championship title after some of its players threw tortillas at the opposing team, which was from a predominantly Latino school.
Coronado High School will lose its boys Division 4-A regional championship because of the 'degrading and demeaning behavior' following the June 19 division championship game, according to a statement from the California Interscholastic Federation.
At least two students from mostly white Coronado High were captured on video throwing tortillas into the air toward the other team after a 60-57 victory over Orange Glen High School of Escondido.
The incident followed a squabble between coaching staff from both schools. It received national attention and prompted several investigations.
The Coronado Unified School Board voted unanimously to fire coach JD Laaperi following the incident, and district Superintendent Karl Mueller issued a public apology.
Chris Featherly, Orange Glen's head coach, said that Laaperi made insensitive comments toward him and his players after the game ended.
Featherly confronted Laaperi, which is when the tortilla hurling began.
Police were called to help clear the gym as things escalated. While there, they found the person who brought the tortillas to the game which has led to an investigation.
A California high school basketball team has been stripped of its championship title after some of its players threw tortillas at the opposing team, which was from a predominantly Latino school
A Coronado High alumnus who provided the tortillas to players said throwing them was a tradition at a college he attended, the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Luke Serna said he is of half-Mexican descent and that there was 'absolutely no racial intent behind that action,' the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
But the California Interscholastic Federation statement said its state executive director 'reiterates that discriminatory and racially insensitive behaviors toward an opponent contravene the principles of education-based athletics.'
'In this instance, there is no doubt the act of throwing tortillas at a Latino team is unacceptable and warrants sanctions,' the statement said.
Mueller said on Wednesday that the school is reviewing the federation's sanctions and will decide whether to appeal them.
'We have also retained an outside investigator to thoroughly review the incident, which will guide any additional corrective actions,' Mueller's statement said.
A tortilla is seen being thrown at a Orange Glen player in the middle of the altercation
The situation from the tortilla throwing escalated once the game between Orange Glen and Coronado had ended in overtime
In addition to vacating the regional championship, the governing board placed Coronado High on probation for the next three school years and said its boys basketball team can't host postseason contests at the sectional, regional or state level through the 2022-2023 school years.
For all other school sports teams, administrators, athletes, coaches and athletic directors must take a 'sportsmanship workshop' before being allowed to host postseason contests, the board said.
The workshop must include racial and cultural sensitivity training. And school administrators and athletic directors must undergo 'game management training.'
The board also recommended that both schools work together to offer restorative justice opportunities for students.
Laaperi took to Twitter on Saturday to give his thoughts on the incident, saying 'unfortunately a community member brought tortillas and distributed them which was unacceptable and racist in nature. I do not condone this behavior. Coronado High School does not condone this behavior and is already taking appropriate action.'
California State Assembly member Lorena Gonzalez even chimed in on the situation tweeting, 'Parents in SD County know that racist taunts against Latino athletes are too commonplace. It's time to stop it.'
Coronado's head coach JD Laaperi tweeted about the incident calling it 'unacceptable and racist in nature' on Saturday. He was later fired