Football coach fired for telling team to taunt opposing player with gay parents
A US high school football coach has been dismissed after he allegedly instructed his players to taunt an opposing player for having two mothers as parents.
The parents, Lynn and Stephanie Eckersley-Ray, of Yarmouth, say Gray-New Gloucester coach Duane Greaton told his players to taunt their son every time he was tackled during a game last Friday by saying, "Who's your daddy?"
The Eckersley-Rays say parents and players told them about the taunting order before the game began, but no taunting was overheard during the game.
Superintendent Craig King said Thursday that Greaton no longer works for the district.
"We do not tolerate threatening or discriminatory behavior," Supt. King said.
Parents in the school district said they were proud the football players refused to taunt the player, and came forward.
"They stepped up ... It was the right thing to do," one student's father Rick McCann said.
"They’re smart enough to know that random hate is not OK," local resident Katie Coonbs added
"It sounds like the coach got what he deserved."
