Colorado basketball coach suspended after sparking fury with actions at game against Jewish school
Colorado basketball coach suspended after sparking fury with actions at game against Jewish school
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A boys high school basketball coach in Colorado has been suspended indefinitely over accusations of antisemitism from rival Denver Academy of Torah. That man, identified as 'Coach O' of Lotus School for Excellence, allegedly brought a Palestinian flag to a January 22 matchup with Academy of Torah. What's more, he hung up the flag and later draped it around his neck before the post-game handshake line, according to Denver's NBC affiliate.
![[Coach O allegedly refused to take part in the post-game handshake line with the other school]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/17/94647069-14338733-image-a-6_1738172633937.jpg)
'He grabs his flag and puts it around his neck,' Lotus' Athletic Director Deon Jackson said. 'We saw the intent at that point.'. Brandon Rattiner, a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council speaking on behalf of Academy of Torah, told the New York Post that Coach O actually refused to shake hands with the opposing staff.
![[Lotus School For Excellence officials responded by suspended 'Coach O' indefinitely]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/17/94647085-14338733-image-a-8_1738172773681.jpg)
'I think everybody in the Jewish community is very aware that there's been a rising tide of antisemitism since October 7,' said Rattiner, referring to Hamas' attack on Israeli citizens in 2023 that resulted in the ongoing war in the region. 'And we've seen it in schools here and all throughout the country on many different occasions.
'The key issue here is when the coach refuses to engage with a Jewish coach and Jewish students simply because they are Jewish or holding them personally accountable for a conflict started, not by Israel by the way, halfway across the world thousands and thousands of miles away,' Rattiner continued.
