CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Former John Paul II football coach and athletic director Andrew Leon announced on Thursday he will no longer attempt to reclaim his job at John Paul II High School.
Leon was removed from his job on Monday on personnel charges he maintains were unfair.
His rationale for ending his battle to reclaim the job was spelled out in his statement on Thursday.
"After much thought and prayer, I have decided that it is time to move on and officially announce that I will no longer be pursuing my job at St. John Paul II High School," Leon said in a post on his Facebook page. "As hard as it is to process that comment, prolonging this will only cause more harm than good.
"All I ever wanted from any of this was to be back out there on the field coaching my boys. I gave myself a timeline to try and get my job back, and that has not happened. This is a heartbreaking reality for me, but I will not let the darkness in this world continue to drag me in."
Leon and his supporters conducted a rally on Tuesday where they made a spirited case for his return. He also enlisted the support of the local LULAC council for support on the charges that led to his removal, which they alleged were discriminatory compared to those levied against other members of the John Paul II staff.
In his statement, Leon said he "strongly believes my termination was unfair" and said his legal representatives will be working on the specifics of his termination.
"This entire situation has drained me mentally and physically, but I will not let it break me spiritually," Leon said. "l will continue to trust in God's plan and choose to always spread love over hate."
Earlier, Leon had said he's been mistreated for the last four years, pointing the finger at one person in particular.
That individual was not named but he said in the last three weeks the discrimination charges had reached a climax. That's when he says he was called into the school on Monday and given the option to resign or be terminated with no cause.
The former athletic director and head football coach at John Paul II High School says he didn't deserve to be fired from his job.
Leon posted a statement to his social media pages giving a vague idea of what's happening at the school. But other than that, little is known about why Leon is no longer employed at the high school.
Leon says no warnings were given beforehand. But the move appeared to be a shock considering the outcry at his rally among players, John Paul II students, parents and members of the community.
The coach has received dozens of messages of support from current and former athletes and coaches. He used the hashtags #benotafraid, #riseabove and #savejp2.
The Diocese of Corpus Christi confirms that Leon is no longer employed at the school but couldn't say any more as it is a personnel matter.
In a statement released by John Paul II High School, it was stated that Leon is no longer employed at St. John Paul II High School. According to the statement, it reads "Under the direction of the school administration, our athletic program will continue to move forward in the best interest of our students."
Marco Hernandez will act as interim athletic director.
