A Montana high school football coach has been fired for two wild reasons: (1) allegedly leading a boxing fight club that led to one of his players needing reconstructive skull surgery, and (2) allegedly sending inappropriate texts to his players.
The school’s Board of Trustees voted 9-0 Thursday evening to terminate Bruce Knerr, whose first year coaching at the school was 2015-16.
What?
The coach reportedly told some of his players that he had sexual interest in their girlfriends and mothers via text, according to the Billings Gazette. A sample of the text messages he sent to players was handed out at the meeting.
Knerr also reportedly spearheaded the boxing activity, which took place at a “leadership camp” Aug. 11. One player had to go to a Spokane, Wash., hospital for skull surgery after participating in the activity depicted in the video below.
Superintendent Don Viegut told the Gazette the meeting was called due to "an event where a student was injured" and said the district had investigated "inappropriate texting between coach and players."
Tim Peterson, the father of the 17-year-old student who was injured, said his son’s skill had five fractures.
"His skull was smashed in a depth of nine millimeters, putting pressure on the brain," Peterson said.
Peterson also says Knerr was aware the boy had already suffered two previous concussions, and the father found out about his son’s injury because another player told him.
This is truly scary. It makes you wonder how thorough the background-check process was during Knerr’s hiring, and if it was thorough (which it very well could have been), how didn't this guy already have anything incriminating on his record?
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