Ohio High School Football Coach Resigns Over ‘Nazi’ Play Call

An Ohio high school football coach resigned Monday following his team’s use of racist and antisemitic language during a game last Friday, the school announced.

Brooklyn High School (Ohio) coach Tim McFarland and his players used the word “Nazi” as a play call in their Chagrin Valley Conference matchup against Beachwood High School. According to Samantha Hendrickson of the Associated Press, Beachwood, a Cleveland suburb, is roughly 90% Jewish, per a 2011 survey by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

According to a statement from Beachwood Schools Superintendent Robert Hardis, the call, which was used by the Hurricanes in the first half, was not used in the second half only due to Beachwood’s vow to game officials that they would pull their players from the field if the inappropriate language continued. However, some Brooklyn players continued to use racial slurs toward Beachwood players, Hardis’s statement said.

“This is not the first time Beachwood student-athletes have been subjected to antisemitic and racist speech,” said Hardis. “We always hope it will be the last.”

Brooklyn Schools Superintendent Ted Caleris also added in a statement that McFarland “expressed deep regret” and that both the coach and the school apologized for the “hurtful and harmful speech” used during the game.

While no form of additional discipline was announced for the players involved, Caleris did make clear that such forms of speech will "not be tolerated."