SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The Cathedral Catholic High School Football team is facing a series of sanctions stemming from social media posts before and after an April high school football game.
According to a Facebook post from the principal of Lincoln High School, “on April 9 our football team played Cathedral Catholic High School in a game that went far beyond the sport, to include disrespect and mistreatment of our players and campus community.”
The post says, “two photos that are at the center of this issue: one posted by its team with players making a down “L” sign; and a second photo that included a student wearing a shirt with the message, “Catholics vs. Convicts” with the banner, “We run this city,” in the post.”
According to Lincoln’s principal, the San Diego City Conference levied a series of sanctions for Cathedral Catholic High School. They include Cathedral Catholic High School being placed on a two-year probation beginning next Football seasons and concluding after the 2022-23 high school athletic season.
The post says, “During that time, if another racial finding occurs that is investigated and found to be verifiable and substantiated within the auspices of athletic competition, the San Diego City Conference may take the necessary steps to revoke Cathedral Catholic High School’s membership within the San Diego City Conference for the sport or program in question.”
The head coach of the varsity football program is to be suspended for the first two league contests of the 2021-22 San Diego City Conference football season.
It also says, “San Diego City Conference supports the self-imposed suspensions for student-athletes directly responsible for the photo of the “Catholics vs. Convict” shirt, (person/people who wore shirt on school grounds and person/people who took photo and posted it).”
The post also lists a series of education and restorative actions including Cathedral Catholic High School and Lincoln High School will meet to discuss the impacts this incident has on their schools, their student athletes, their coaching staffs, their communities, and others outside of their community.
ABC 10News reached out to the contact listed for the San Diego City Conference, but we have not yet heard back.
The principal of Cathedral Catholic High School tells ABC 10News they accept the sanctions from the San Diego City Conference.
It a statement principal Kevin Calkins wrote, “Cathedral Catholic High School accepts the sanctions from the San Diego City Conference. Cathedral Catholic leaders have had numerous conversations with representatives from Lincoln High School, CIF, and the president of the San Diego City Conference. I am grateful for the dialogue with Stephanie Brown, the principal at Lincoln High School, and for the leadership at CIF and the San Diego City Conference. Our students and our school community have learned a lot from this experience, and we look forward to repairing our relationship with the Lincoln High School community. We also look forward to supporting all members of the Dons community in the days, months, and years ahead.”
