Report: Maine High School Coach Told Players To Heckle Player With Gay Parents

According to a report from the Portland Press-Herald, the football coach at Gray-New Gloucester High School resigned after instructing his players to taunt a Yarmouth player with gay parents during a game last Friday, telling them to ask the player “Who’s your daddy?” every time he was tackled.

When the Press-Herald reached out for comment, superintendent Craig King told them simply said that coach Duane Greaton no longer works for the school; in an email obtained by WMTW, King wrote that “MSAD 15 takes concerns about the safety and security of students very seriously and does not tolerate threatening or discriminating behavior.” Neither Greaton or athletic director Scott Walker commented on the matter, with Walker citing the fact that the resignation was a personnel move by the school.

The parents, Lynn and Stephanie Eckersley-Ray, told the Press-Herald they were informed of Greaton’s taunting orders by several Gray-New Gloucester parents moments before last Friday’s game; according to the parents, no homophobic slurs or taunts were heard throughout the game. In response, the Eckersley-Rays, who told the paper on Thursday that the affair has been “extremely difficult for our family,” penned a letter to King to bring the discriminatory actions to his attention.

“We are appalled by your coach’s behavior as it is not only the explicit targeting of a player, but it is also incredibly discriminatory and hate-laden in nature. It is our understanding that targeting is not acceptable per (Maine Principals’ Association, which governs Maine high school athletics) … rules and we certainly know that anti-discrimination, anti-bias, and hate-crime laws protect individuals in Maine.”

Gray-New Gloucester is winless heading into the final stretch of the season; Yarmouth, meanwhile, picked up its first win against the Patriots.

[ Press-Herald]