An Oregon middle school football coach has been removed of his duties at Corbett Middle School for not re-locating an awards ceremony at Hooters television station KGW reported Tuesday.
"[I'm] not allowing myself to be bullied by a vocal minority, is the war I want to win," Burbach told television station KGW. "You stand up for what you believe in. I believe this is a proper venue. "I would have been willing to make changes had the people who are upset contacted me."
Randall Burbach was let go after wanting to hold the event at the Jantzen Beach Hooters at the request of the players who told him they wanted to have the dinner at the restaurant when he asked them. The coach is proceeding with his plans, and has gotten the restaurant to donate $1,000 and 20 percent of sales to the Corbett booster fund on Saturday.
"I spoke with Randy Burbach this evening [Monday night] and asked him to move the event to a different venue," J.P. Soulagnet, an athletic director at the middle school said in the letter obtained by KGW. "He was unyielding and emphatically said no for a number of reasons. Some might say that this restaurant objectifies women. I would tend to agree. It is not a restaurant that I would feel good about my wife or daughter working at. I think it sends the wrong message to our young men and that saddens and worries me the most."
According to KGW, Burbach did not receive any complaints about the choice from parents, but was rather recognized for his efforts to buying the players dinner following all games, pizza, viewing game film in his house, and bringing them to Mount Hood, which he paid between $1,000 to $2,000 for.
"He went so far over and above what any coach would do," Mike Painter, a parent volunteer told The Oregonian. "It's unbelievable. It's because he cares."
