The two Texas high schoolers that were caught on camera hitting an official during a game were on Good Morning America on Friday. Michael Moreno and Victor Rojas — the two students — were in agreement with their blame, saying they were just "doing what they were told".
"While on the sideline [coach] pulled me and another player over and I quote 'you need to hit him,'" said Moreno, the second player to strike the ref in the video. Moreno said his coach told him more: "You need to hit the ref, he needs to pay the price." The players commented that the actions were motivated by racial slurs and poor officiating.
The players did not name the coach involved, but assistant coach Mack Breed has been suspended by the school district while they are investigating. The players have also been suspended pending further investigation.
The big unknown factor from this is if the players and/or coach will face legal action for their roles in the incident, as referee Robert Watts is still considering pressing charges. While Watts has not spoken publicly, he has used his attorney to deny the use of any racial slurs from the incident.
[h/t GMA]
