Two youth hockey coaches in Medford are off the ice after parents said they were drinking beers in front of players.
A parent allegedly gave the coaches a few beers after an early-morning game over the weekend. According the Medford Youth Hockey Board of Directors, the two coaches drank them in the locker room in front of the players, who are between 11 and 13 years old.
"Medford Rec Hockey is proud of the contributions of our volunteer coaches who dedicate countless hours to the children of Medford. Unfortunately, a couple of coaches broke the rules of Medford Hockey and USA Hockey and as a consequence, we suspended them for the remainder of the season," the board said in a statement.
Parents and other coaches said the two coaches who got punished are great guys who devote a lot of time to their teams.
"We’re human. We’re all human. We all make mistakes," said youth hockey coach Tim Pacheco. "Hopefully, they learn from it but I wish them the best. They’re both good guys. And they have great records on our program. People make mistakes, it happens."
The coaches do have the right to appeal those suspensions. It is not yet known if they will choose to file appeals.
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