Ozell Williams, the Denver Public Schools cheerleading coach seen in a now viral video directing a crying cheerleader to forcibly perform the split position, has lost his position as coach.
Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg said Friday the school made the decision to fire Williams, the school’s cheer coach, after he was spotted on video holding down a cheerleader as she begged to be released from the move. Fellow cheerleaders are also seen pushing down on the girl’s arms and legs in an effort to help her achieve the move.
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While some on social media dismissed the coach’s harsh training techniques as necessary, his actions have been widely condemned by national organizations, and were denounced Friday by school officials.
“We were wrong not to have taken certain actions in June, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of every one of our students,” Boasberg said.
Original story: A Colorado district high school cheerleading coach and his assistant have been placed on leave as after a video emerged showing them conducting a brutal splits drill involving a team of female students. The school’s principal and an assistant principal were also placed on leave over the incident.
Denver police are investigating after a series of videos showing a squad of East High School cheerleaders screaming in agony as coaches and fellow students push them into painful splits moves during a school practice. The videos were reportedly sent anonymously to authorities.
The school’s principal and an assistant principal, the cheer coach and his assistant and a district lawyer have all been placed on leave during the investigation.
KUSA-TV reports the videos show eight cheerleaders at Denver’s East High School repeatedly being pushed into splits while their arms are held up by teammates. In one video, a girl repeatedly asks her coach to “please stop.” The station says the videos were shot on the phones of two team members and were sent anonymously to the station.
At the time of their release to media, Boasberg called the videos “extremely distressing,” now he has gone a step forward and relieved Williams of duty.