An assistant basketball coach at a Philadelphia area Catholic high school has been fired for his alleged involvement in the savage beating of a gay couple that took place in Center City last week.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirmed to the Philadelphia Daily News last night that 25-year-old Fran McGlinn had been fired from his position as an assistant basketball coach at Archbishop Wood High School immediately after it was learned that he is allegedly one of the “visibly intoxicated” and “well dressed” assailants who beat two gay men in a surveillance video that has had the entire community on edge for the last week.
“He was terminated this evening and will not be permitted to coach in any archdiocesan school,” Gavin added, noting that McGlinn was not a teacher and only working on a “contract basis.” “We expect all those who work with students in our schools to model appropriate Christian behavior at all times.”
We reported earlier this week that victims of the assault, 26 and 28-year-old boyfriends who have remained unidentified, came forward after being released from the hospital during the weekend. They claimed they were walking to dinner on Thursday night when members of the group of 12 began taunting them with homophobic slurs.
The two groups exchanged words and that’s when, according to several witnesses and the victims, two men and six women from the group beat them to what the victims say felt like a state of near death.
Police were only able to identify members of the group this Wednesday, when a random sleuth on Twitter used the surveillance footage released by the Philadelphia PD to find the group checked-in at a local restaurant hours before the attack. Using Facebook, @FanSince09 also found the group posing for a group photo.
Shortly after, it was reported that several persons of interest had retained lawyers and were speaking with police.
While no arrests have been made, CBS Philly notes that if there are, charges will not be hate-related because Pennsylvania law only recognizes hate crimes as “motivated by race, religion and ethnicity.”
cflekken
Good.
Paul Nadolski
Nice to see a Catholic school fire someone for a reason OTHER than being gay.
Bauhaus
Philadelphia City Councilman Jim Kenney sent a letter today to Zane Memeger, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, asking for Memeger’s office to look into the case and bring charges under the federal hate crimes statute, which includes offenses motivated by bias toward the victim’s sexual orientation.
markoc2
I don’t know if any others reading the comments noticed, but the ‘twitter sleuth’ who helped identify the restaurant in the photo, and some of the Facebook connections, was GregBennett, known to many as Greg, friend of the Manzo sons, on Real Housewives of New Jersey. Cudos to Greg!!
markoc2
Oops….my post above…GreggyBennett only found the restaurant photo; Fansince09 found the Facebook connections. Cudos to both!
throwslikeagirl
Yes!
DickieJohnson
Even without a PA hate crimes law, there should be enough evidence to convict those a-holes of assault and battery, right? And, def, kudos to Greg and Fan09 for their quick and amazing action!
Chris
Assault and battery sounds about right. And I can only hope that the repercussions in their various work places and among their social networks are accordingly negative. This sort of stuff has to end.
And if the reason given is “we were drunk,” then don’t drink.
Billy Budd
I want them in jail. Being fired is less than nothing.
tjr101
Praise Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Black Pegasus
No arrests? What in the hell are they waiting on?
Paco
An attorney for the tacky dressed mob of thugs is claiming the gay men instigated the attack by throwing the first punch.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Persons-of-Interest-Gay-Couple-Assault-Victims-First-Punch-Center-City-FanSince09-La-Viola-275604121.html
Because we all know gay men prowl the streets looking for large groups of heterosexuals to bash, right?
Patsy Stoned
Assault, battery AND robbery, as they stole one of the victim’s backpacks and cell phone. Scum.
But I have a feeling these meatheads will get off with a very light slap on the wrist. These bullies have probably gotten away with it throughout their lives and will once again. But at least their identities as anti-gay neanderthals will be known, starting with this neck-less, dead-eyed POS.
seaguy
I am shocked usually it is the gay person the catholics are firing.
cflekken
@Paco: Well, of course they’re going to say that. What other (desperate) defense could they possibly have? Even if the victims did throw the first punch, it could easily be seen as a defensive reaction against an attacking mob of belligerents. Sorry, plaintiffs, but you’re not getting off on this one.
horndog
always thought that beating up gays was “model christian behaviour”
Harley
Sounds like another “affluenza” case coming down the road.
Ronbo
Why does it seem that justice only “swift” when it benefits the wealthy and politically connected?
Cam
Any guesses on when they will get let off with nothing except a week of anger management courses and an apology letter?
HereinDC
@DickieJohnson: AND Robbery…… Don’t forget they took a cell phone and wallet.
HereinDC
…..And ROBBERY !!!!!!
EVERY…. TIME….. you….. type….. or….. talk….. about….. this….. story…..DON’T forget to also say ” ROBBERY”
Bauhaus
@Ronbo:
“This is the largest public display that I’ve seen of crowdsourcing to get info for crime victims,” said Sgt. Eric Gripp of the Police Department’s Public Affairs unit. “We receive a lot of info daily about the videos we post. We don’t seem to see it to the scale that this was.” Cap. Frank Banford of Central Detectives, which is handling the case, said his investigators had many tips and many interviews to do. “This will go methodically and thoroughly,” he said.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Now the Archdiocese should begin an investigation into any instances where this disgusting vile pig may have molested any of the students he worked with…….
Many Gay bashers are closet cases who are in denial. Am actually gobsmacked that the Diocese acted so quickly to put this abhorrent noxious piece of thit on the road to ruin his life has now begun…………….
NotStr8Acting
May every bible thumping hetero who was involved in this vicious homophobic attack get the worst form of cancer. May they all get incurable cancer and die a slow painful death. May the hetero females who were part of the attack all have miscarriages and may the males die in prison. Vile nasty breeders. And of course they are bible thumpers.