A longtime and highly respected California high school football coach is at risk of losing his coaching role in connection with an incident where he allegedly lifted a female student over his shoulder and took her to a class she allegedly didn’t want to attend.
As reported by the Sacramento Bee, Roseville (Calif.) High School head football coach Larry Cunha will not be charged with any crimes in connection to the incident, but could still lose his position as the school’s head football coach.
Here’s more from the Bee’s Joe Davidson:
According to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, Cunha picked up a student and carried her to a class she didn’t want to attend.
In a news release, the attorney’s office said it “has declined to file charges against Cunha” due to insufficient evidence of battery under Section 242 of the Penal Code. “Our office has reviewed the evidence in the case including all witness’ statements regarding Mr. Cunha’s interaction with a Roseville High School Student.
“The allegation was that Mr. Cunha picked up the student, placed her over his shoulder and took her to a class she did not want to attend. This was the only charge referred to our office on Mr. Cunha. There is insufficient evidence to show that a crime has been committed. Accordingly, no charges will be filed against Mr. Cunha.”
“Larry’s as clean of a coach, as good of a person and coach as you’ll ever find,” Frank Negri, a former Cunha assistant at Roseville, told the Bee. “He’s the most up-and-up, truthful, and morally upright coach as you’ll find. A lot of coaches bend the rules, some cheat, but Larry has always done it the right way.
“If there are no charges, then Larry should get his coaching job back. He deserves that right. It upsets me. But there are no guarantees in high school coaching, and no one has a locked-in contract to coach. You can be let go just like that.”
Indeed, soon we’ll all find out if the long coach road ends for Cunha with an attempt to take a teenager to class.
