Does Video Prove That College Basketball Coach Assaulted His Own Player?
- Posted on February 23, 2011 at 8:55pm by
Meredith Jessup
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When a routine basketball practice got a little too rough, one Holy Family University player found himself on the floor, bleeding from his mouth. But the incident wasn’t the result of tough defense or aggressive rebounding. Holy Family University player Matthew Kravchuk has filed a criminal complaint against his coach, John O’Connor, for hitting and kicking him as his teammates watched.
According to Philadelphia’s local Fox affiliate, the city‘s district attorney’s office is investigating Kravchuk’s criminal complaint and reviewing a video which purportedly captured the whole incident on tape.
During the Jan. 25 practice session, Coach O’Conner pushed Kravchuk to the ground and kicked him. When the bleeding player regained his footing, the coach yelled at him and ordered him to leave.
Now, the DA’s private criminal complaint unit is weighing whether or not to file charges in the case.
The Kravchuk family claims school administrators promised to discipline the coach, but refused to offer specific details how he would be reprimanded. Unsatisfied by the school’s response, the Kravchuks filed a police report.
According to Fox 29, other members of the Holy Family basketball team are standing behind their coach. While Coach O’Connor awaits word on whether criminal charges will be filed against him, Holy Family has suspended him, pending an internal investigation.
In the meantime, O’Connor responded to the potential charges to Fox29 Wednesday morning:
What do you think: was the coach just trying to “toughen up” his players or were his actions out of line?
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Comments (42)
jnorth21
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 10:46amI come from a family of coaches and have been one myself and I’ll be the first to say that the coach was out of line. Motivating or not you don’t storm up to players and snatch balls out of their hands and knock into them. You are the leader, act like one. With that being said the kid took a flop and is milking this for everything he can. I have seen far worst occur in practices before and nobody has ever thought of suing, in fact probably pushed themselves harder. Did the coach lose his temper? Yes he did. The kid was probably frustrated and tired from the drill, flopped, and after this video surfaced saw an opportunity. Both are in the wrong and the sad part is that the team has now lost a coach, a teammate and is getting recognition for all the wrong reasons.
Report Post »ferdbyrd
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 9:46amMasculinity is dead in our “Yooots”……this kid should be playing soccer for France……
Report Post »Karron
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 9:07amThere is NO NEED for a coach to put his hands on his players. EVER. Crybaby or not, according to all of you all so brave weekend, armchair, warriors. There is a difference between getting kids motivated and knocking them to the ground. They aren’t in the Marines. Beyond that he should be a leader, not someone they fear. The coach was embarrassed that his coaching got the teams butts beat, so he wants to take it out on the kids. He was way out of control. Screaming, bullying, and shoving, yeah, a really great example. There is a difference between acting like a baby because his coaching sucks, and taking it out on the team, and getting kids motivated to do better. The guy is a moron. And the school should discipline him as such. The kid should get out there and work hard. The coach lost it. Period.
Report Post »KT37
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 8:17amI don’t know about this story, I can’t decide if I agree with the coach or student. The coach is dumb for attempting to toughen up his students esp nowadays when anything and everything can be turned into abuse. And the student is a big crybaby. I agree that both got on my nerves.
Report Post »VG
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 3:02amWhen one accepts a position of power/authority over another, he/she is held to a higher standard. Coaches are given the gift to coach and teach our young men and women. One can not intelligently argue that it is appropriate for a coach to use his position of authority to physically assault/strike and slander one whom he supervises. If a man bloodies his wife’s face, we are rightfully outraged. Do we as a society worship sports to the extent that we blame the player for his coach’s grossly inappropirate behavior. Before you post how weak you think the player is, take a moment to think how you would feel if you found out one of your son‘s or daughter’s coaches busted them open and then berated him or her.
Report Post »BIGPAPAPUMP
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 10:50pmWOW. This kid should join the wrestling team, he could really make some money then. The coach did nothing wrong. He hit him with a shoulder, that’s it. If that kids balance is that bad he really should have joined the chess club. Things are really getting out of control.
Report Post »republic2011
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 7:48pmThat’s nothing compared to what we endured during high school wrestling. What a baby. It’s called tough love. Maybe we should just give everyone a trophy. Look… life is tough and this coach was giving him a great life lesson. There was no assault, here. This coach was trying to bring the best out of an inferior player. He should be thanked by the player’s parents.
Report Post »9thCommandment
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 6:43pmI guess the Kid never played streetball. But I agree the Coach was a dink & should be dunked. Either way the team suffered by both actions.
Report Post »Isupportliberty
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 4:20pmAnyone defending this coach and criticizing the player for not being a “man” needs to reevaluate their definition of what a man is…and their priorities. A “man” does not treat people this way. Basketball is just a game, not the Marine Corps training for war. Sports are supposed to be an activity that builds character. This coach obviously lacks character.
Does anyone else see the irony here of a coach who is a representative of “Holy Family University” dropping the f-bomb like a drunken sailor?
Report Post »holierthanthou
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 1:35pmThat kid went to the Manu Ginobli school of acting! Nice flop…that would have gotten him two free throws from NBA refs!
Report Post »streetsmartmom
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 1:28pmALL you pro violent people are idiots. The kid was obviously playing well. Coaches are supposed to INSPIRE the kids not make WARRIORS out of them….Sooooo, the coach is sorry. By his own words, he stepped over the line. Had the school taken the proper action in a timely manner, there would not have been such a big deal. I agree with the player, how can he play his heart out and give the game his all when he lost respect for his coach? .RESPECT IS EARNED. The coach couldn’t leave well enough alone, he had to berate him off the court. Let’s not forget, the WHOLE team came out in defense of their teammate….There must be a reason for that endorsement. Send him to the Marines?
Report Post »Sure, you expect training to be tough in that area. My husband was a Marine, but no way can we condone this practice in a school setting. Isn’t there enough violence around the world already?
SHAME< SHAME<SHAME!!!!!!!!!! On all of you who backs this thinking.
ps We have 5 children, and believe me, they are not WIMPS!!
ClinkinKY
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 12:37pmIf the coach’s name was Bobby Knight this would be a non-story.
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 11:21amThere was no assault there. The coach was demonstrating how to box out and the kid fell down. Period. No contact with his face was ever made and he wasn’t kicked. This claim is a complete joke. False reports like this are why nobody believes anything anybody says anymore.
Report Post »Mr. Vitriol
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 10:44amI think he should have wrapped himself in bubble wrap before practice.
Report Post »zigzag
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:15amIf his wrest is still hurting after that, he probably shouldn’t play anything more than jr. league.
Report Post »TheMarine
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:05amWow. That’s pretty weak. If you want to play any level of competitive sports, then you need to be able to handle this type of workout. I’m amazed that criminal charges are being brought.
Report Post »Ghostrider
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 8:28amNow here are some lilly livered mamby pamby comments. Oh my goodness, what a poor, poor child. Just think to be BULLIED by that mean old coach. Looked to me like that coach was showing the cry baby how to block, and accidently hit him with his shoulder. So what if he was yelling. Cry baby society. Can’t even yell at players to get them to play harder. No wonder the rest of the world makes fun of us.Sissyfied nation. I can just see my Marine Corps Drill Instructor playing nice with us in boot camp. Now, now now, boys, we must try harder. We want to walk together, shoot straighter. This is the kind of crap that happens when we have the old, nobody wins games so everyone has self estem. It is long past time that this young man reach down and grab a pair and man up. I remember when I coached a girls fast pitch softball team. A girls mom got so outraged at me cause I yelled at her after I had praise her 5 times. What are our children going to do when they get a job and the boss yells at them, call mommy? Call their attorney, wet their pants?
Report Post »malaglot
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 6:53amIs this pansy a$$ for real? Sorry but this coach was simply demonstrating a little tough contact basketball. Nothing more and nothing less. This kid needs to man up a bit. We experienced far more physical stuff than this in basic training and we all turned out just fine. It’s hard to believe that kids are such cry baby wimps these days.
Report Post »BoondockPatriot
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 4:06amI have to agree with most of the replies here: The incident appears to be an open-and-shut case, but once opened and examined, is not as bad as it is made to be. Coaches in all sports encourage passion and physical sacrifice, and discourage lollygagging. I’m not surprised that the “victim” still has a hurt wrist–from it being so limp all the time. If he wasn’t so sue-happy, that wrist brace would have been off in a few days. He‘s milking it for all it’s worth, and even combined with a bloody nose, that’s not much.
Report Post »Sterling Mac
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 4:02amIf it’s okay for coaches to hit their players in the face with their shoulders, then it should be okay for the players to hit their coach in the face with their fists… If there is a person who thinks that it’s not okay for students to hit and verbally assault their coaches, but thinks it’s okay for coaches to do it to their players.. Then that person is a hypocrite. Plain a simple.. You either have this childish coach man up for losing his temper like a little baby, or you allow coaches and players to assault each other whenever they want to. I love you Kelly, but you’re dead wrong on this one.. Coaches should be leaders, not demeanors.. This coach needs a different job.. Obviously his coaching techniques aren’t cutting it. That, and I bet the farm he’s pro teachers union.. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he spends a great deal of his coaching time indoctrinating his players with crap he sees on msnbc. Honestly, teaching players how to lose isn’t the only job that coaches have, they should lead by example, and get rid of this “do as I say not as I do”, smack.
Report Post »Here2do
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 6:21amBasketball isn’t just a sport. Track and Field is just a sport. There is no aggression in Track/Field. Basketball is physical. Wimps should play something with less contact and emotion. The coach did what his dad should have did to him, maybe that’s what everyone is offended about. This guy apparently is SOFT and it was pretty well known.
Report Post »QuietRiot
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 3:12amcry, baby cry !!!!
Report Post »wwwjr
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 2:55amOnce again Fox’s Kelly may a bad call.
This Coach’s career, as a coach, should be over. His excuse? he was blubbering around and being abusive with his players because he couldn’t take a loss in the previous game. The guy is a total imbecile and should be fired.
It’s also time for FOX to hire some adults. Kelly and Smith are NOT news people.
Report Post »Here2do
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 6:16amA nation of *******, we are becoming. (channeling Yoda)
Report Post »walkwithme1966
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 2:44amif you are going to play college ball, you need to man up and take what the coach dishes out!!
Report Post »BooHoo – a little bloody! http://wp.me/pYLB7-Hm
TERMLIMITSNOW
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 10:04amonly decent post I’ve ever seen from out of you
Report Post »beckisnutsisnuts
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 2:37pmWere you talking about the basketball coach, or the congressman addressing the union thugs?
Report Post »Noah_fing-whey
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 2:34amIncidental contact. No foul. The kid needs to man up or quit the team.
Report Post »GHill7.62
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 8:52amcandy@ss kids these days.
Report Post »mommy kiss my booboo..
A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 2:21amThe coach DID NOT kick the kid. He shoved him with the side of his foot to get him to get off the floor.
Report Post »zigzag
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:11amI didn’t see an elbow to the face either. It looks like this player had some good acting skills and over reacted.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:19amThat player was already being assaulted by the guard who was all over him and he couldn’t even handle that and stay balanced. The coach might have been a bit aggresive but it looked to be a timing thing with face and forearm meeting. As for kicking, it looked more like sweeping him out of the way. Obviously not brought up playing “streetball” in the park with the brothers.
Report Post »gobluebuckeye
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:34amholy crap, if you are slacking then a coach needs to find a way for you to pick it up. there is more contact in a actual game then what happened in this video, and if he cant take it, well then maybe he should join the synchronized swimming team.
That boy needs to man up.
Report Post »rappini
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:48amI agree with your view. Kids today just can’t suck it up anymore. That’s what happens when there is no discipline in the family maybe a few years in the Marines or Spc Ops might help the kid out.
Report Post »TERMLIMITSNOW
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 10:05amthis boy is a sissy…..he wouldn’t have made my high school team
Report Post »TonyN MI
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 1:05pmDoes it really matter whether the coach actually intended to injure the player? And, YES, the player is likely employing an ambulance-chaser to reap the financial benefits of this incident! HOWEVER, the coach was wrong to attempt to motivate players in this way. Sportsmanship and honor SHOULD be the result of good coaching, not a lesson in “anger-management-gone-awry!” GROW UP coach, and learn to DO YOUR JOB without assaulting and insulting players. MAN-UP! I’ve coached basketball at nearly every level, and find this sort of “Bobby Knight” behavior beneath contempt. If the player is not “up to snuff,” cut him from the team. If you can’t motivate your team without insulting and assaulting them, then quit! A better man/woman is out there to do the job without the sophomoric tirades! And, Megyn, I love ya, but this verdict wasn’t one of your brightest, girlie!
Report Post »leftiesaredangerous
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 1:10pmWhat a wuss! That kid would get bumped harder in a game and NEVER kicked him!
Sit that wimp on the bench where he’ll be safe or maybe he just needs to play volleyball.
Report Post »Sinista Mace
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 4:57pmPhysical abuse, verbal abuse.
Fire him.
Report Post »CrazyNWI
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:34pmYou have to be kidding.. Right??? I coach hockey and if what that coach did is illegal, most ice hockey coaches are felons… Toughen up, suck it up, and drive on… The coach was showing passion for what needed to get done, and the player shows that he was not paying attention and gets contact…
If I was the parent of this kid, I would be more ashamed of my actions then that of the coaches… Everyone is looking for a paycheck without any work… sue the coach, make some bank… and teach your kid that instead of standing for something, it is easier to live on your knees…
Report Post »PeeWee57
Posted on February 24, 2011 at 9:41pmObvious dive. No kick. Kid should be ashamed of himself.
Report Post »zigatolis
Posted on February 25, 2011 at 8:47amSo much for the concept of the “Holy Family”…………..what a disgrace. The kid could toughen up a bit but if I were the players father, i would have b**ch slapped the coach!!!!
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