HS Football Coach Ousted After Claims Of Racist Watermelon Postgame Celebration
A head football coach was relieved of his duties after allegations were made that the players’ post-game tradition of smashing and eating watermelons was deemed “inappropriate” and “racist” by a Charleston County School District official.(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
North Charleston, S.C. (CBS CHARLOTTE) – A head football coach was relieved of his duties after allegations were made that the players’ post-game tradition of smashing and eating watermelons was deemed “inappropriate” and “racist” by a Charleston County School District official.
Bud Walpole has been ousted from his position as head football coach of the Academic Magnet football team following an investigation into allegations of “inappropriate” post-game celebrations, according to a statement from CCSD. The district declined to provide a reason for relieving Walpole, who is in his tenth and one of his most successful seasons as the school’s coach, WCSC-TV reports.
But the firing is being linked to complaints about the student player’s tradition of smashing a watermelon after each win – an act that opposing team parents and some school officials deemed racist.
According to a student who emailed WCIV-TV, the issue with Walpole began with the post-game celebrations, despite the district’s refusal to comment on the matter. The student, who WCIV says is not on the team, said he has witnessed Walpole’s interactions with the school’s athletic director regarding the incident.
“The whole thing began when the football team started celebrating victories by smashing a watermelon and cheering in a circle to celebrate a hard-fought win,” the student said in an email. “This was seen by a [Charleston County School District] official who deemed the act to be racist.”
The student said that the students – and not Wapole – purchased the watermelons for the team tradition.
Mike Miller, a Charleston school board member, said a parent from an opposing school approached him to complain about the watermelon eating and that the kids were making monkey sounds.
A current Raptors player told WCSC that the players began the tradition after buying watermelons from a man who sells them on their way to the game. The team decided that if they won their game against Military Magnet, they would eat the watermelon. Following their victory – bringing them to a record of 6-2 – they smashed and ate it because they didn’t have a knife on the sideline.
A parent of one of the players in addition to a former Raptor player said that members of the Charleston school board held hours-long meetings with each member of the football team at their school to determine if the watermelon ritual had any racial undertones – a suggestion that all the kids denied.
According to WCSC, the team members met with Superintendent Nancy McGinley later in the day and asked why their coach was fired. But they were not given a straight answer with one source saying McGinley told them the decision was “above [their] paygrade”.
Academic Magnet Athletic Director Curt Hoffman sent a text to WCSC on Tuesday morning saying “my focus right now is to help the players and coaches in any way I can, all matters concerning Bud Walpole are personnel matters and as such will not be commented on.”
Walpole will remain a teacher at the school and officials say Andrew Rusciolelli will serve as interim head football coach.
