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Paso Robles torn over football coach syrup incident

November 2, 2016

syrup coach

The fallout from a raunchy high school football locker room incident that was caught on camera is dividing the city of Paso Robles. Some parents, students and city residents are calling for the Paso Robles High School coach to lose his job, while others are fiercely defending him.

On Oct. 14, following a football game against San Luis Obispo High School, video was recorded showing longtime Paso Robles Head Coach Rich Schimke pouring syrup in the belly button of player Joe Moscato, 17, who was lying shirtless on the ground. Then, with the rest of the team watching and screaming, Schimke appears to lick the syrup in Moscato’s belly button. However, the footage does not clearly show whether or not Schimke licked the syrup or if his tongue made contact with Moscato’s body.

About a week after the incident, Moscato’s mother, Heather Moscato, obtained the video. Heather Moscato alerted authorities, prompting both the Paso Robles Police Department and the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District to launch investigations. The police department concluded Schimke did not do anything criminal.

School district officials have yet to conclude their investigation, but Superintendent Chris Williams released a statement saying the district has reviewed the video and is concerned about what occurred. Schimke has been on administrative leave throughout the period in which district officials have been investigating the incident.

On Saturday, Heather Moscato published a Facebook post detailing her concerns with the incident.

“All I expected when I signed my little boy up as an 11-year-old Bearcat was that a) my son was safe b) he was being led by role models and moral behavior,” Heather Moscato wrote. “October 14, 2016 proved to me that neither of these were true. The general backlash and petitioning for reinstatement shows me that mindsets need to change here.”

Bob Bartosh a Ventura attorney representing Schimke, has told media that Heather Moscato’s account of the incident is wrong. Bartosh said Joe Moscato received a bottle of syrup as a reward for having the most “pancake” blocks,, and the player asked to have the syrup poured on him. Schimke then poured the syrup and pretended to lick it, Bartosh said.

The Tribune reports that a source inside the locker room corroborated the attorney’s account of the incident. Also, Senior wide receiver Seth Matthysse said nothing illegal occurred and the allegations were blown out of proportion.

Schimke has been the head coach at Paso Robles High School since 1999. Assistant coach Matt Carroll is currently serving as interim head coach.


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PRHS will probably hire a new football coach from Clovis


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Anybody have the coaches phone number i would like to see if he is available to give lessons to my girlfriend.


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What next, down by 5 points with 3 seconds left and the ball on the 40 yard line. To far for a field goal so one last play, . There’s the snap the quarterback drops back, scrambling under pressure throws the ball down field last chance Hail Mary it’s tipped and then caught TOUCHDOWN,TOUCHDOWN. The reciever who dove and caught the tipped ball just won the game and running off the field jumps up in the air and the coach catches the reciever in a celebration. The reaction of a few happy parents suddenly turns to shock and disbelief. WOW did you just see what that coach did to my young innocent little child. Grabbing him in his arm and caressing him as they jump up and down and swinging him around in celebration before they fall to the ground under the weight of the others players chearing and celebrating a come from behind victory.


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Aaaaand now it just got weird. Coach just gently laid him in the grass, poured syrup in his navel and then began lapping it up with his tongue. The parents are now truly outraged.


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Notice if you will…

Where is the Boys Father?


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Going to get more syrup.


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Folks,


It has been brought to public attention by ‘SloBird’ that Heather Moscato, the mother who saw fit to complain to law enforcement regarding this silly event, allows her other son, Jason Moscato, to post near -pornographic images on Facebook.


Perhaps law enforcement or SLO Child Protective Services should investigate this mom?


“All I expected when I signed my little boy up as an 11-year-old Bearcat was that a) my son was safe b) he was being led by role models and moral behavior,” Heather Moscato wrote. “October 14, 2016 proved to me that neither of these were true. The general backlash and petitioning for reinstatement shows me that mindsets need to change here.” -Heather Moscato


Folks, by her own standard, Heather Moscato has failed her own children, and her behavior has failed to set a good role model for other parents.


Can we fire Heather? Should she be imprisoned?


Just wondering,


Josey


Support Teacher and Coach Rich Schimke.


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I would never trust an adult who exercised such poor judgement in his capacity as a coach anywhere near my child. The fact that people are supporting him and attacking the reporter of this incident reminds me why I choose not to live in Paso.


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I smell a law suit being filed by the mother for a handsome settlement from the school.


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No, what you really smell is a locker room devoid of the proper leadership necessary to teach our children well. And yes, it stinks….just like the coaches behavior and his lack of a positive role model.


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Don’t you mean settlement from the school paid for by the property taxpayers, with no one at the school accepting responsibility?, same story when the taxpayers are footing the bill.


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This is NOTHING believe me. Did wrestling all through high school & guys were constantly putting Neet(?) in each others jocks when the guy wasn’t looking or just in general screwing off. Once two of us got into a fight so coach body slammed a kid (on the mat). We knew not to mess with coach but, we also knew it was between us and we grew from it.


This is stupid…..let it go!


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Please explain exactly what you learned from those experiences and how have you positively applied them in your life.


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It’s weird that the mother is talking about her 11 year old little boy when the kid is 17.


Hard to figure out what is really happening when the witnesses who were there said the coach just pretended to lick the syrup. It’s also hard to imagine anything happened if the police said nothing happened.


Okay, dumb thing to do…to pour syrup on a kid, but considering there was a roomful of goofballs… Sure seems like a boys will be boys thing.


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Well, if this is co considered the new “norm,” our culture really is in dire straits.


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Of course we are in “dire straits”… Have you seen who we have to vote for president? Have you seen where this state places more gun/ammo restrictions on law abiding citizens because of all the criminals? Have you seen where people want to legalize marijuana just so we dont have to fight it anymore? California is screwed up and the nation is not far behind.


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