WPIAL places Mohawk football on 2 years of probation for alleged racial slurs toward Burrell players

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 | 9:01 PM

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The WPIAL has placed the Mohawk football team on probation for two years after allegations that racial slurs were used in a playoff game against Burrell in November.

The WPIAL Equity Council for Diversity & Inclusion couldn’t independently confirm the allegations, but WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer said the council believed the discipline was appropriate.

“Through their investigation, through testimony of the kids, (the council) thought there was a violation of sportsmanship, and it needed to be addressed,” Seltzer said after the WPIAL board met Tuesday.

Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta accused Mohawk players of targeting his team with racial slurs. The equity council met with representatives of both teams, but Seltzer said such allegations often can’t be proven definitively.

“The council basically said that they thought the kid heard something but can’t prove who,” Seltzer said.

If Mohawk completes a sportsmanship education program recommended by the WPIAL, the probationary period will be reduced to one year. If a team under probation commits a subsequent violation, the WPIAL then would take stronger disciplinary action.

Seltzer credited Mohawk superintendent Lorree Houk for embracing the educational opportunities offered by the equity council, which the WPIAL created in 2020.

“Our equity council members have gone out to the school,” Seltzer said. “They’ve talked to the football team already, and they’re talking with winter sports teams.”

Seltzer said Houk also has considered creating a cultural competency program to include athletes from other Lawrence County schools.

“When (Mohawk) did their investigation, the kids didn’t admit to doing anything,” Seltzer said. “But she says, ‘Look, we need to do this.’ The equity council gives her a lot of credit for starting to spearhead this and saying we need to do something different.”

Mohawk, which hosted the WPIAL first-round playoff game, won 42-0.

Liotta was ejected with 11 seconds left in the first half after walking onto the field during a timeout to confront the officials. Liotta said his concern at that moment was about the racial slurs.

His ejection also earned him a two-game suspension next season. Because Liotta’s suspension comes from the PIAA, the WPIAL is not involved in reviewing his discipline.

“This equity council doesn’t get into coaches or coaches’ suspensions,” Seltzer said. “That’s strictly between the officials, the PIAA and the coach.”

The relationship between the two schools was strained in this process, with the districts releasing differing statements within days of the game. Seltzer said deciding to bridge their divide is the schools’ prerogative.

“Hopefully, they’ll get together,” he said. “That’s one of the recommendations (of the council), that they’ll reach out to one another. Because they’re both similar in classification, they may meet in something else.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Burrell, Mohawk