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*A high school football coach in New Jersey was allegedly asked to step down from his position on Monday (April 30) over what he believes is retaliation for putting too many black players on the field.
Nick Strom, the head football coach for Camden Christian High School in New Jersey, was also not offered a new contract for his role as a classroom teacher, according to Philly.com.
Strom said he was asked by school president Mary Whipkey during his first season in 2014 to “get more white players on the field” to help the team better connect with the alumni. Despite losing only two games over the last four years, she was purportedly still unhappy with the ratio of black to white teammates and was dismissed as Camden Catholic’s football and golf coach.
He was also placed on paid administrative leave from his position as a history teacher at the school.
Strom told Philly.com: “I was raised not to see race. I tried to build this program by bringing in players based on their ability, grades and character. To be told in my first year that she hoped I could get more white players on the field because they would connect with the alumni base, that was very confusing to me.”
Strom estimated the topic of race came up “10 to 20 times” with Whipkey since he was hired as football coach in 2013.
“When I’d have a list of potential freshmen, the first question I’d be asked is if they were white or black,” he told the Courier-Post Online. “I was confused about why the question was, ‘How can we get more white players in the program or on the field?’”
About half of the team’s players are minorities, Strom said.
Strom said the administration also asked if the players came from a single- or two-parent household.
Earlier Monday, Whipkey flat out denied that the racial makeup of Strom’s team was a factor in the decision to dismiss the coach, who has one of the top winning percentages in South Jersey history.
“We are not that kind of environment and we take it very seriously when those accusations are made,” Whipkey told the Courier-Post. “This is a special community here. We embrace our diversity here. Those accusations are not true.”
Earlier in the day, the school released a statement defending its actions and criticizing Strom.
“We do not comment on personnel matters, but it has come to our attention that he has chosen to muddy the reasons for his dismissal with baseless accusations against the school and administration,” it read. “Any concern about racism or racial insensitivity is taken seriously and investigated fully.”
Refusing to step down from his position, Strom will instead file a grievance with the local teachers’ union regarding his contract.
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