In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), many athletes sport some kind of pink attire to show their support. In detail players in the NFL, NBA and/or MLB show their recognition, whether it’s a wrist band, arm sleeve, headband or a pair of sneakers. Allegedly, Mendenhall (Miss.) High School football coach Chris Peterson wasn’t familiar with the concept.
Peterson kicked 17-year-old placekicker Coy Sheppard off the Mendenhall football team when Sheppard attempted to wear pink cleats in a practice following a game in October. Supposedly, the coaches wanted Sheppard to do away with the pink cleats after wearing them in a game; however Sheppard wore them again in the following practice. Consequently, the staff kicked Sheppard off of the team.
The pink cleats were a gift from Sheppard’s 82-year-old great grandmother, a breast cancer survivor.
“I do understand and we don’t condone being disrespectful to the coaches,” said Joey Sheppard, Coy’s father. “But he was standing up for what he thought was right.”
The 17-year-old’s family has filed a lawsuit on the school. It seeks his reinstatement to the football team, a clearing of personal record and all monetary donations to go directly to the American Cancer Society.
What are your thoughts on this happening in Mississippi?
