St. Edward puts football coach on leave

ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAKEWOOD -- St. Edward High School has placed football coach John Gibbons on administrative leave, but the principal of the boys' Roman Catholic school in this Cleveland suburb would not detail the reason for the review.
Principal Eugene Boyer said Wednesday there was no timetable for completing the review. The Eagles' season ended Saturday with a 7-3 loss to Warren Harding in a Division I regional semifinal at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
"I realize there is tremendous interest and much speculation on our situation. However, due to privacy considerations, I am unable to address specific allegations," Boyer said in a news release.
Gibbons' record at St. Edward is 81-22 overall, 9-2 this season.
Gibbons could not be reached for comment. A message was sent Wednesday evening to his school e-mail address.
Charges considered
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Authorities are considering charges against a Pee Wee football coach who was caught on videotape attacking a referee after being told to stop cursing on the sidelines in front of his 5- and 6-year-old players, police said.
The amateur video of the Nov. 4 incident shows the coach charging onto a field and tackling the 18-year-old referee, who police Capt. John Houston said was briefly knocked unconscious.
"The coach had been warned several times about cursing on the sidelines. When the referee ejected him from the game, that's when he rushed him," Houston said Tuesday.
A crowd of parents ran onto the field and surrounded the pair, he said.
Investigators plan to meet with Nueces County prosecutors to determine if the coach and at least one other man should face charges, Houston said. He said assault on a game official is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a 4,000 fine.
Police did not release the identities of the coach or the referee.