Ex-Texas high school assistant coach pleads guilty to misdemeanor assault

Breed will be placed on probation for 18 months after allegedly instructing his players to tackle a referee during a September game.

Former John Jay High School assistant coach Mack Breed pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor assault charges stemming from accusations that he instructed his players to tackle a referee during a game in September, ESPN reports.

Breed was sentenced to one year in jail with a $3,500 fine, but instead will be placed on probation for 18 months as defined in the terms of a plea deal.

Breed resigned from his position at the Texas high school following the highly–publicized incident, in which he allegedly instructed players Michael Moreno and Victor Rojas to hit referee Robert Watts after Watts allegedly used racial slurs and made unjustified calls during the game.

Moreno and Rojas publicly said Breed gave them the orders to hit Watts, though Breed did not have to accept or deny the accusations in accordance with the terms of his guilty plea.

Moreno and Watts were suspended indefinitely by the team and were required to complete 75 days in an alternative school. An investigation into their role in the incident is ongoing, but potential charges of assault and aggravated assault are expected to be filed against them soon, Burnet County Attorney Eddie Arredondo said Monday.

- Erin Flynn