We've heard of coaches stopping a team bus for fear that the driver was impaired, but never to teach the passengers a lesson. Marcellus (N.Y.) High School officials are investigating a bizarre detour junior varsity football players were allegedly forced to take Saturday after a road loss at Skaneateles.
According to at least one complaint, coach Jim Marsh, who also teaches English and coaches boys' basketball at the school, had the bus park near a cemetery, then had his players exit the bus and lie on graves. The message was that those buried beneath them would gladly trade places with the players, who should continue to play hard and never give up. According to Syracuse Post-Standard sources, players then were told to rise up and bring their season back to life.
Parents are reportedly calling the episode an inappropriate educational technique, and school officials are trying to determine exactly what took place after the bus pulled over at the cemetery. "We're talking to the kids, the coaches and the parents," Marcellus superintendent Craig Tice told the paper. "We're still trying to collect information, definitely."
