Bennett football coach files police report alleging he was assaulted by officer on field

Bennett football coach Steve McDuffie has filed a police report with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, alleging he was “assaulted” by an officer during Saturday night’s state semifinal game at Cicero-North Syracuse, he told The Buffalo News.

McDuffie and Buffalo Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Athletics Michael House traveled to the Syracuse area Monday to lodge the complaint.

Three penalties set the stage for an attempted protest by Buffalo Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Michael House, security being called to the Bennett sideline, the apparent ejection of coach Steve McDuffie that was later deemed not an ejection, an hour delay, the halftime break being held before the second quarter ended, and ultimately the end of Bennett’s hope of repeating as state champions. 

Tom Newton, a sheriff’s office spokesman, confirmed the report was filed.

“This is an internal investigation, and the sheriff of Onondaga County is taking it seriously,” Newton said.

The News sought the report under the state’s Freedom of Information Law, but the request was declined because of the ongoing investigation.

The alleged incident would have taken place late in the second quarter of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Class AA semifinal game between Bennett and Syracuse Christian Brothers Academy after Bennett was called for three consecutive penalties.

People are also reading…

The first penalty was on a player, the second was on a Bennett assistant coach and the third was on House, who was then ejected for coming on to the field.

House attempted to protest the game for the penalty on the assistant, citing that the Bennett coach was on the field because Christian Brothers Academy coaches were also on the field.

McDuffie said he went on the field to talk to the officials about what he said was unequal enforcement of the rules. He initially was restrained by his assistant coaches. He eventually broke away from his assistants and McDuffie was met by two sheriffs, who had come on to the field at the urging of the game officials to help calm the situation.

“I don’t know why he approached me and grabbed me,” McDuffie told The News after the game. “He approached me when I was trying to talk, and I feel that he assaulted me, and I would like to know why.”

According to a source, police thought McDuffie had been ejected and were trying to escort him off the field to allow the game to continue.

But McDuffie was not ejected.

Both teams went to their locker rooms for more than an hour with 1:57 left in the second quarter in what became an early halftime break.

NYSPHSAA officials met and eventually told House his protest was invalid because there is no means to protest “subjective” decisions by the officials, the source said.

McDuffie and House argued the rules weren’t being enforced equally for both teams.

After a delay of more than an hour, the two teams returned to the field and resumed the game in the second quarter.

Bennett lost the game, 21-8, ending the Tigers’ attempt to repeat as Class AA state champions.

The officiating led McDuffie to allege his players “were being abused” and the officials displayed “acts of racism.”

NYSPHSAA hasn’t responded to McDuffie’s allegations.

‘); var s = document.createElement(‘script’); s.setAttribute(‘src’, ‘https://assets.revcontent.com/master/delivery.js’); document.body.appendChild(s); window.removeEventListener(‘scroll’, throttledRevContent); __tnt.log(‘Load Rev Content’); } } }, 100); window.addEventListener(‘scroll’, throttledRevContent);

Sent weekly directly to your inbox!