People pay money to watch Gallagher smash watermelons.
Via Moultrie News
Charleston County School District released a statement Tuesday revealing, “There was an allegation related to inappropriate postgame celebrations by the Academic Magnet High School (AMHS) football team. An investigation was conducted and, as a result of the investigation, the head football coach will no longer be serving as a coach for Charleston County School District.”
The celebration in question reportedly involves players smashing a watermelon after the game. The act became a postgame ritual of sorts as Academic Magnet went on a six-game winning streak this season.
Mike Miller, a Charleston County School Board member, reportedly told Live 5 News that a parent from an opposing school came to him and complained about the watermelon act and that the kids were making monkey sounds. […]
Former Academic Magnet football player Harry Griffin released a statement Tuesday voicing his opinion in the firing. Griffin played for Walpole from 2009-12.
In the statement, Griffin says, “Coach Walpole was fired because his team had a harmless tradition that was made to seem prejudice. … They had a post-game ritual of smashing a watermelon and eating it after every victory. A parent on an opposing team deemed this act as racist and the school board decided to interrogate the players. These high school athletes were forced into a room one by one and questioned about their “racist” acts. Since when is eating watermelon racist? Since when does a school board have the right to interrogate students without notifying their parents? The way this situation has been handled can only be described as despicable.”
HT CTL