Corporal Punishment Alive And Well On Mississippi High School Basketball Courts

By Weed Against Speed on October 29, 2010 at 11:40 am
From the Sportress of Blogitude

A high school basketball coach in Mississippi has gotten himself into a bit of hot water due to allegations that he has been whipping his players with a weightlifting belt.

Marlon Dorsey, the head coach of the Murrah High boys basketball team, is currently under investigation by Jackson Public Schools due to his alleged questionable motivational techniques, which included whipping boys with a weightlifting belt whenever they would incorrectly run a play. A closed-door meeting was held in the school’s library between officials and concerned parents.

Via USA Today:

“This is a personnel matter,” Greta Terry, assistant superintendent of high schools for JPS, said after she and Murrah Principal Freddrick Murray met with about 30 parents Thursday night. “We’re very limited in what we can say because we have to protect the rights of those involved.”

Dorsey’s actions were kept quiet for some time as the boys on the team, for fear of being kicked off the team, never reported what was happening in practices to their parents. And here’s where the story gets strange. Dorsey apparently had an open door policy regarding practices- and still whipped the players, even in the presence of some parents. One of those parents, Jason Hubbard Sr., finally decided enough was enough and reported the coach to school officials Monday after watching Dorsey whip his own son twice in one practice. That’s right: this guy was so brazen with his disciplinary policies that he would beat on players right in front of their parents. Wow.

“I just said, ‘enough was enough,’ ” Hubbard said.

The boys shouldn’t be punished in that way, Hubbard said.

“Kids shouldn’t live under that fear,” Hubbard said. “This is not the NBA or college. You’re dealing with teenagers.”

Wait. Is this guy implying that he is in support of corporal punishment in the collegiate and professional ranks? I’m not sure how grown men whipping other grown men would fly – although it’s safe to say it wouldn’t go well at all – but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see somebody give it a whack, so to speak. I mean, can you possibly imagine the following scenario occurring: after throwing a pick in practice, Jay Cutler has to make the long walk of shame to the sideline where Mike Martz, belt in hand, waits eagerly to give the QB a sound thrashing.

Actually, I can totally see that happening. Can’t you?

Miss. officials probe claims coach hit players with weightlifting belt [USA Today]