Indiana H.S. Coach Being Investigated Over Sideline Incident Caught On Film
Video shot for the New Castle H.S. basketball team on December 10 is video the team would later watch when dissecting their first loss of the season. In the closing minutes of the game, New Castle’s coach Steve Bennett called time out, came into the huddle and appears to punch one of his players in the stomach. The player, Bryant McIntosh, who was a freshman at the time, winces in pain as the coach’s hand hits him in the numbers. Bennett then flings his right hand into the player’s face.
“When it happened, Bryant looked right up at us and we knew he was scared, said Scott McIntosh, Bryant’s father.The freshman’s parents, grandparents and entire family was shocked by what they believe happened, Coach Bennett hitting their son right in front of the entire crowd.
We were looking at each other thinking, ‘Did that just really happen in the gym, in front of everybody?’, said Bryant’s mother, Shelly.
McIntosh is the third generation from his family to attend New Castle High School. His mother played basketball there and his dad helped coach the eighth grade team. It is a basketball family in a basketball town. Another coach put together a highlight video of McIntosh’s career so far for the growing number of big-time college recruiters that have coming knocking on his door.
Within days, the video of the incident on the sidelines was circulating around town. Life for McIntosh became difficult, his parents say the basketball team turned against him.
When they had the school board meeting, they sent out a mad text saying, you know, go and support Coach Bennett tonight and the very last thing it said was don’t tell Bryant, said Scott McIntosh.
The coach, they say, continued to berate their son in practice and during games.
Coach Bennett yells out, ‘You are pathetic and worthless’, said Scott McIntosh.
The game and the team that had meant so much to their son was bringing him down.
They tried to drag us through the mud and take Bryant with him, said McIntosh’s mother.
But the real shock, according to the McIntosh family, was still to come. They say the school did nothing.
Basketball is serious business in New Castle. The team plays in the largest high school gym in the country and the coach has the highest winning percentage of all active Indiana coaches.
It is so serious, when 13 Investigates went to the high school looking for answers, the superintendent called the police and told us to get off the property.
Eyewitness News was not about to stop there. This week, we went to a school board meeting to ask why nothing had been done between the player and coach. New Castle School Corporation Superintendent Stephen Fisher, who had not returned numerous phone calls from Eyewitness News and had called the police on us, had nothing to say. He took off even before we asked our first question. We followed him down the hall, into his office and, after refusing to answer a single question, he hit the lights to the office and exited out the back door.
We thought they would handle this properly and, as of this moment, they have never contacted us and told us they haven’t done anything, said Shelly McIntosh.
Eyewitness News also made several attempts to contact the coach, going to his house, but no one answered the door. We did find Coach Bennett leading his summer team at a tournament on the campus of Ball State. When we tried to talk to him, a group of parents stood in our way until we got outside. But then, the coach and his family made a beeline for their car.
Citing privacy issues, no one on the school board would talk about disciplinary action against the coach, or even acknowledge if there had been talks with Coach Bennett about this incident. They also said pending litigation by the McIntosh family forced them into silence. As of now, the McIntosh family has not filed a lawsuit, but have said they might.
The school board may not be talking now, but their actions were loud and clear as they recently voted to confirm Coach Bennett, at the recommendation of the superintendent, to continue in his role as head varsity coach at least one more year.
The McIntosh family have chosen to leave New Castle. Their children are enrolled in a school that does not play against New Castle, but whether Bryant plays basketball this season is up the IHSAA.
WTHR.com
http://www.wthr.com/story/15239792/hoops-coach-questioned-over-sideline-incident
NEW CASTLE – A local high school basketball coach’s conduct is being called into question by the parents of a player. Those parents want something done after an incident on the sidelines was caught on camera.
Video shot for the New Castle H.S. basketball team on December 10 is video the team would later watch when dissecting their first loss of the season. In the closing minutes of the game, New Castle’s coach Steve Bennett called time out, came into the huddle and appears to punch one of his players in the stomach. The player, Bryant McIntosh, who was a freshman at the time, winces in pain as the coach’s hand hits him in the numbers. Bennett then flings his right hand into the player’s face.
“When it happened, Bryant looked right up at us and we knew he was scared, said Scott McIntosh, Bryant’s father.
The freshman’s parents, grandparents and entire family was shocked by what they believe happened, Coach Bennett hitting their son right in front of the entire crowd.
We were looking at each other thinking, ‘Did that just really happen in the gym, in front of everybody?’, said Bryant’s mother, Shelly.
McIntosh is the third generation from his family to attend New Castle High School. His mother played basketball there and his dad helped coach the eighth grade team. It is a basketball family in a basketball town. Another coach put together a highlight video of McIntosh’s career so far for the growing number of big-time college recruiters that have coming knocking on his door.
Within days, the video of the incident on the sidelines was circulating around town. Life for McIntosh became difficult, his parents say the basketball team turned against him.
When they had the school board meeting, they sent out a mad text saying, you know, go and support Coach Bennett tonight and the very last thing it said was don’t tell Bryant, said Scott McIntosh.
The coach, they say, continued to berate their son in practice and during games.
Coach Bennett yells out, ‘You are pathetic and worthless’, said Scott McIntosh.
The game and the team that had meant so much to their son was bringing him down.
They tried to drag us through the mud and take Bryant with him, said McIntosh’s mother.
But the real shock, according to the McIntosh family, was still to come. They say the school did nothing.
Basketball is serious business in New Castle. The team plays in the largest high school gym in the country and the coach has the highest winning percentage of all active Indiana coaches.
It is so serious, when 13 Investigates went to the high school looking for answers, the superintendent called the police and told us to get off the property.
Eyewitness News was not about to stop there. This week, we went to a school board meeting to ask why nothing had been done between the player and coach. New Castle School Corporation Superintendent Stephen Fisher, who had not returned numerous phone calls from Eyewitness News and had called the police on us, had nothing to say. He took off even before we asked our first question. We followed him down the hall, into his office and, after refusing to answer a single question, he hit the lights to the office and exited out the back door.
We thought they would handle this properly and, as of this moment, they have never contacted us and told us they haven’t done anything, ” said Shelly McIntosh.
Eyewitness News also made several attempts to contact the coach, going to his house, but no one answered the door. We did find Coach Bennett leading his summer team at a tournament on the campus of Ball State. When we tried to talk to him, a group of parents stood in our way until we got outside. But then, the coach and his family made a beeline for their car.
Citing privacy issues, no one on the school board would talk about disciplinary action against the coach, or even acknowledge if there had been talks with Coach Bennett about this incident. They also said pending litigation by the McIntosh family forced them into silence. As of now, the McIntosh family has not filed a lawsuit, but have said they might.
The school board may not be talking now, but their actions were loud and clear as they recently voted to confirm Coach Bennett, at the recommendation of the superintendent, to continue in his role as head varsity coach at least one more year.
The McIntosh family have chosen to leave New Castle. Their children are enrolled in a school that does not play against New Castle, but whether Bryant plays basketball this season is up the IHSAA.
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