Will Coach Cochran get canned

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Will Coach Cochran get canned?

Updated: Tuesday, 24 Mar 2009, 12:15 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 24 Mar 2009, 11:42 AM EDT

New London (WTNH) - Students walked out of New London High School yesterday in support of Jack Cochran, who may be fired for his questionable coaching methods.

Jazmin Cox joined dozens of others yesterday, walking out of class for Coach Cochran.

"We left school and we went to the Board of Ed and basically rallied for Coach Cochran," Cox said.

But now Cox is paying the price - she has been suspended for her actions.

"It was for three days, but then I heard it was one day. As of right now, I don't know which one it is," Cox said.

Confusion seems to be running rampant. The rumor on Monday was that Cochran, the popular football and baseball coach, was going to be fired. About 70 students marched out of school to the superintendent's office.

"And I believe that he's a good coach and everything and he should remain the coach so I left on behalf of him," said Jonai Phillips, who has also been suspended.

Coach Cochran has an impressive resume. He's won 8 state championships with Bloomfield, New Britain and New London. But along the way, he's punched another coach, let junior high kids practice with the team and most recently, he held a baseball team practice before the season began.

"He does do some things maybe he shouldn't, but I think a lot of coaches do all that extra trying to get their kids ready. Maybe they all don't get caught," said parent, Mary Ellen Tudisco.

Now the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference says if he breaks one more rule in the next three years, his team won't be allowed to play in the postseason.

Still, lots of students support the coach, and lots of parents support their kids. Some even signed their kids out of school for the protest.

"I came here, signed her out, picked her up and brought her to join her classmates in the protest," said Tonja Dantzler-Cox, parent.

Yet her daughter is still suspended. That confusion had a handful of students and parents out in front of the school today to protest the suspensions from the protest.

"What are they going to do today? They're going to miss school, they gotta make up their homework. My daughter couldn't start softball, people couldn't start track," Dantzler-Cox said.