Former fighter Rocky Johnson fired from high school wrestling coach job, hazing
Former fighter Rocky Johnson fired from high school wrestling coach job, hazing
Douglas County School District public information officer Paula Hans states that Rocky Johnson has been fired from his position as a wrestling coach at Chaparral High School in Parker, Colorado, after the release of a video depicting hazing of a freshman on the team.
The video, filmed by parent Andrew Stubbs at practice on Jan. 27, depicts Johnson encouraging a prank called “The Ultimate Sit-Up,” where a wrestler is blindfolded and held down as he attempts a sit-up. The blindfold then is released as the wrestler sits up, face-first, into the naked butt of another wrestler.
Hans released a statement Friday afternoon. “This is very concerning and the Douglas County School District does not tolerate inappropriate conduct by staff members. Upon learning of this incident, we immediately contacted law enforcement and began our own investigation. The Chaparral High School wrestling coach is no longer employed by the Douglas County School District. The safety and well-being of our students is our priority and actions of this nature will not be tolerated.”
Johnson, age 45, last competed in mixed martial arts in August 2016, a TKO loss to Levi Queen at Rage in the Cage 47.
Johnson amassed a 22-17 record throughout his MMA career. He holds a win over former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson dating back to 2007.
What do you think? Did Johnson go too far, or are people forgetting that meaningless and harmless pranks like these were a part of growing up?
