Fletcher HS coach says video shows he didn't kick player on purpose

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fletcher High School assistant football coach Jeff McCrone is sharing his side of the story about a sideline scuffle.

Action News Jax first told you Monday a Southside family accused McCrone of attacking a Sandalwood High School football player.

The district remains tight-lipped four days after this all went down.

Duval County Public Schools spokeswoman Tia Ford said she is not aware of any video of what happened Saturday morning on the Sandalwood football field.

McCrone showed Action News Jax video Wednesday he said he got from someone who works for the district.

McCrone said the video shows he did not intentionally kick Sandalwood High School player Philip Benker.

“I just want people to know that it’s a lie. It’s a complete lie and there’s evidence to prove it,” said McCrone.

The video shows Benker on the ground as McCrone walks toward him, clapping his hands.
"As he tries to get up right here, it's – bam – into my knees, right there. So I get up right here and I'm walking and the little brother comes and pushes me in the back," McCrone said.

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McCrone said the video shows him stumble after Benker’s younger brother, Rocky Benker, pushed him. He said he may have accidentally kicked Philip Benker.

“I had no control over any contact I had with him because his little brother pushed me,” said McCrone.

You can’t hear it in the video, but Rocky Benker said he heard McCrone calling his brother bad names.

“He was on top of him talking crap. So I ran over and pushed him. And he was stumbling over him and kicked him in the back,” said Rocky Benker, who’s a sophomore at Fletcher.

“I didn’t have any words to him or anything,” said McCrone.

After the game, McCrone said Benker’s older brother, Dominic Benker, attacked him.

“He says, ‘Did you kick my brother?’ and I said, ‘I didn’t kick your brother, man.’ He’s right up in my face. And I said, ‘Get out of my face.’ And I start to walk away and he sucker punches me and takes off running,” said McCrone.

Dominic Benker told Action News Jax he “defended himself.”

McCrone said he’s getting a computerized tomography scan on his head Wednesday.

He said he’s pressing charges and wants an apology from the family.

“It’s kind of made my name mud around here,” said McCrone.

“It would go a long way to see every one of these people involved apologize, be sincere about it. Apologies don’t pay medical bills, though,” said McCrone’s attorney, John Phillips.

Rocky Benker said the coach shouldn’t expect an apology.

“No, not at all. Because he knows what he did wrong,” said Rocky Benker.

He said he was suspended from school for three days for pushing McCrone. Ford won’t confirm whether the school district took any disciplinary action.

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