The Neshaminy High School basketball coach who appeared to head-butt a referee at Tuesday night’s basketball game has been suspended.
Jerry Devine has been suspended as of Wednesday morning, according to a statement from the district.
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“Appropriate action was taken at the game following that incident, and further measures may follow depending on the outcome of [a district review],” the statement said.
Devine was removed from the end of the Neshaminy vs. Pennsbury game at the Middletown high school after apparently butting a PIAA referee with his body.
The video footage appears to show Devine using his head and body to make contact with the referee. The coach was then escorted off the court by district staff.
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“I think he intended to get in the guy’s chest,” WBCB 1490 on-air personality Chris Ermer told ESPN. “But as he did it, he was off balance and went down. You can’t say he didn’t intend to make contact, but I don’t think he was trying to head-butt the ref.”
Devine, who teaches history and algebra, has a five-star rating on RateMyTeacher.com. He has taught in Bristol Borough and Philadelphia before coming to Neshaminy more than 15 years ago. Devine has coached basketball at the high school for the past 10 years.
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Video of the incident quickly made its way to Twitter after being posted by a user from Yardley, who eventually removed the video. From there, the video was published by a basketball niche site and then LevittownNow.com before going viral nationwide.
Middletown police said they were not called to the school and found out about the incident from a text message from a LevittownNow.com reporter.
Devine has not been able to be reached for comment since last night’s incident.
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Below is the full statement from Neshaminy officials:
The administration at Neshaminy School District is conducting a thorough review of an incident at the varsity basketball game Tuesday evening (January 5, 2016) involving coach Jerry Devine and a referee. Appropriate action was taken at the game following that incident, and further measures may follow depending on the outcome of that review. As this is a personnel matter, we will not be able to comment on the specifics of any possible disciplinary action until that review process is complete.
Mr. Devine has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that review for both his teaching and coaching positions.
The athletic program at Neshaminy places the values of fair play and sportsmanlike conduct above all. We expect our coaches and staff to teach and uphold those principles, while acting in a professional manner at all times.
Click here to read our original story with exclusive interviews with students who were at the game
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Freelance reporter Gillian McGoldrick and Publisher/Editor Tom Sofield contributed to this story.
