CASPER, Wy. — A high school football coach in Buffalo, Wy., has resigned after distributing a mock survey entitled the “Hurt Feelings Report,” in which responses for players to check off included, “I am a pussy,” “I am a queer,” and “I am a little bitch.”
Pat Lynch, who had been head football coach at Buffalo High School for 13 years and had led the team to two state football championships, resigned from that position earlier this week, but the school board has allowed him to retain his position as a guidance counselor at the high school under administrative supervision, reported the Casper Star-Tribune.
In the aftermath, Johnson County School District 1 superintendent Dr. Rod Kessler was supportive of Lynch and the efforts to repair his reputation.
“[Lynch] screwed up, he screwed up big time,” Kessler said.
“The coaching, we didn’t want that to be the issue anymore. We wanted him to have his priority back where it was as a counselor.
“None of us are happy that it happened. It’s a black eye to the district. And it’s a black eye to Pat.”
[…]The board did, however, allow Lynch to continue in his position of guidance counselor at Buffalo High School, under administrative supervision.
“We’re going to work with Pat and have him continue doing the good things he was doing prior to this mistake,” Kessler said. “Our hope is that we can mend things we need to mend and gain back the trust and get the reputation that he needs to gain back as a professional.”
The superintendent said the intent Lynch had for the survey is not being revealed publicly, but that his “personal opinion was the intent wasn’t to harm. It was probably to be a joke or something like that.”
The community’s response to the school board’s action has been mixed, including some public outcry over Lynch being retained in the role of a counselor.
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On parent said Lynch should have apologized to the players — not the school board.
The “Hurt Feelings” survey is here — click to enlarge:
