Two Fenger Coaches Suspended in Connection to Student Beating

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Oct 5, 2011 10:00PM

Two football coaches from Fenger High School have been placed on leave after they allegedly stood by while a gang of players beat up a student in front of his house. One of the coaches went to the home of 16-year-old Darion Jones to ask him about a football player who had been robbed of his flip-flops. The Sun-Times writes:

When Darion said he knew nothing of the incident, the teen’s relatives said, the coach warned him: “I guess you’ll know something when the next 50 people arrive.”

Within minutes, at least two carloads of football players pulled up, relatives said.

Jones' mother was helplessly watching her son being beaten. To make matters worse, the woman lost a daughter to a violent murder in 2007. As the attackers left, one said, “It’s not over.’’

The coaches -- Cassius Chambers and Roscoe Pitts -- claim they were trying to defuse the situation, but a bystander said he "didn’t see them hold anybody back." Fenger has unfortunately become known for its violence after a few highly publicized mob beatings, namely the death of Derrion Albert in 2009, which was caught on video.