Beaumont Football Coach Will Martin Is ‘Moving On,’ Resigns

BEAUMONT, CA — Beaumont High School’s head football coach has resigned in the wake of a now-infamous video that captured him punching a student in the gut. A police investigation launched after the footage surfaced in October resulted in a police recommendation that Will Martin, 46, face felony child abuse charges.

On Wednesday, Martin didn’t want to talk about the video, or the possibility of facing criminal charges. As for the boy who got slugged in the gut on video, Martin said he “loves that kid.”

The Beaumont Unified School District’s school board accepted Martin’s resignation at Tuesday night’s meeting. The disgraced coach and physical education teacher, who has been on paid leave since Oct. 3, will remain on the payroll until his resignation becomes official on March 1, according to district officials.

The video came to light on Oct. 3, though the punch was thrown last school year, sources said. The video shows Martin saying “we don’t want no witnesses,” before telling one of his football players to stand with his hands above his head. The student waited, while nervously laughing intermittently, for about a minute until Martin punched him. The boy doubled over.

Beaumont police in November recommended felony child abuse charges be filed against Martin. The Riverside County District Attorney’s office says they are still reviewing the case. Martin has not been arrested.

Martin’s punch sparked controversy in Beaumont and beyond, as parents and the public argued over whether his behavior with the football team was appropriate. Several parents spoke out at a school board meeting in October, all in defense of the coach.

“This man, that has literally been crucified on a video of a bunch of young men and their coach horseplaying; this theatrical punch... I cannot believe that this man is being put through what he has been put through,” Vicki Casner said, according to an audio recording from the Oct. 24 meeting.

“Unbelievable,” she said. “Unless you as a school district or this board has anything else that the parents haven’t been privy to, I can’t believe that this goes on in our school district. These boys miss him. They want him back in this position, and that’s where he should be.”

Ken Spicer, a local pastor, also showed up to that meeting and talked about how Martin “would do anything for any player or any student who needed him.” He, too, referred to Martin’s actions as “unfortunate horesplay.”

“I didn’t come tonight to talk about the video, but I did come to talk about my friend, Will Martin, who is the coach of Beaumont High,” Spicer said. “But he’s also a loving father, a devoted husband, an active member in his community as well as the lives of his students and players.”

Though no parents spoke at that meeting negatively about Martin, some said they felt the coach played favorites and didn’t hold all players to the same standards. One parent in particular called his actions in the controversial video “an assault” and said her own son and other players were benched for “not supporting” Martin’s actions after the scandal broke.

"When the last game [of the football season] came… [the interim varsity coach] benched every single player who opposed Martin,” she said, wishing to withhold her identity for fear of retaliation. "It was really sad to see it end this way."

She said that a “fresh start” next season with a new coach “and most importantly less distractions” will be good for the players, adding that the whole situation was “unfortunate.” Unfortunately for her son, his senior year of football ended on the bench.

The Beaumont Police Department did not view the actions as horseplay, either. Beaumont Detective Sgt. Robert Galletta told the Press Enterprise that it didn’t matter if the boy agreed to the punch, since he’s a juvenile.

If he’s eventually charged, it won’t be the first time Martin’s faced legal consequences. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of forgery of a legal instrument for altering timecards at his previous job with Moreno Valley Unified School District, the PE reported.

“I would like to express my sincere apology for my judgment regarding the case and conviction,” Martin wrote in a petition for dismissal obtained by the newspaper. “Before and since this incident I have been a model citizen both professionally and personally.”

Martin started at Beaumont Unified as head coach on May 31, 2016 and as a Physical Education teacher when the school year started, on Aug. 4 that year.

The school district said after they saw the video, they placed him on leave the same day. Officials said they worked with police on their investigation and that they “expect all staff to act with integrity, perform at exemplary levels, and be held accountable for results."

In an interview, Martin thanked folks who publicly supported him.

“I am thankful for the community of Beaumont, the school district, the parents, the school — and I appreciate the kids especially — and I wish them the best,” Martin told Patch.

Martin’s case was the second of three high-profile incidents involving teachers at Beaumont High School this school year including two teachers accused of having sexual relationships with students.

SEE ALSO:

• School Staffer Punches Beaumont High School Student, Police Say
• Partying In 'Panties': Snapchat Video of Beaumont High Teacher With Students Led To Arrest: PATCH EXCLUSIVE
• Another Beaumont High Teacher Arrested For Alleged Sexual Contact With Student
• Samantha Ciotta, Accused Beaumont High Teacher, Makes Appearance
• Beaumont High Student Breaks Silence, Admits Sex With Teacher
• Beaumont Sex Scandal: Teacher Arrested For Alleged Relations With Student, Police Say

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