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Fla. Coach Accused Of Forcing Player To Strip, Suck Thumb
Report: Man Fired Over Incident
POSTED: 12:46 pm EST November 3,
2006
UPDATED: 12:53 pm EST November 3,
2006
Police in Jacksonville, Fla., were called to a private school after a parent accused a coach of going too far on the baseball diamond and forcing a player to strip and suck his thumb, according to a report.An eighth-grader at Arlington Country Day School told his mom about a alleged incident that started at baseball practice at the school.According to a police report, some older kids duct taped the boy's legs and sat on top of him, WJXT-TV reported. Police said the coach, 23-year-old William David Simpkins, allowed the incident to take place and did nothing to stop it.
The police report states that Simpkins took the incident one step further, forcing the boy to take his clothes off and run laps in his underwear while sucking his thumb.School officials told WJXT-TV reporter Victoria Warren that they had no comment except to say the coach had only been working there for three weeks and was fired and is no longer allowed on school property.In a statement from the boy's mother, she said the situation made her sick, but that the school and the headmaster took immediate action in dealing with this incident and that their response was swift and very appropriate.Denise Muire, a licensed mental health counselor, said although she does not know the victim, the treatment he suffered could be humiliating. "It might make him a little anxious to become more involved in other team sports," Muire told WJXT-TV. "I'm very surprised that a coach would come in and participate. Not only not stop it, you would think at first he would stop it, but to participate in it."She said the boy's mother did the right thing by coming forward and calling police.Simpkins has not been charged with a crime.People at his apartment complex said Simpkins moved out of his apartment earlier this week.
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