«Breaking News» Football coach is fired for attending funeral of teen he 'bullied' against his parents' wishes

A football coach who had been asked not to attend the funeral of a teenage boy who killed himself earlier this month has been fired for ignoring the family's wishes, attending the service and then taunting them on Facebook after being asked to leave. 

Jeffrey Wood showed up at Maison Hullibarger's funeral in Detroit on December 8 despite the teenager's parents specifically asking him not to through a friend. They have accused him of 'bullying' Maison and their other children. 

It remains unclear whether his alleged treatment of Maison contributed to his decision to take his own life or why it was unfair. 

But after showing up at the funeral and being asked to leave, the coach, who is also a history teacher, took to Facebook where he taunted the boy's grieving parents.  

'I was just asked to leave a funeral by a family member of a deceased football player. 

'If you need someone to blame, I’m your man, I’m your fall guy. 

Jeffrey Wood showed up at Maison Hullibarger's funeral in Detroit on December 8 despite the teenager's parents asking a friend to tell him that he was not welcome. Maison's parents say he 'bullied' their son and his brothers. Maison took his own life earlier this month but his reasons are not known 

After the service, Wood took to Facebook where he posted this stinging post about Maison's family. He has since been fired from the football team 

'This is how society is when things go not as planned. We blame others for our own shortcomings. 

'This tragedy is not about me or you. It’s about looking in the mirror as a human being and being real and honest with yourself,' he said in a heartless post. 

According to the boy's parents, Wood has 'bullied' their children for years. 

'We’ve had four boys who played for him. 

'He's been bullying kids for many years,' Jeff, the boy's father, told The Detroit Free Press. 

Linda asked a friend to make it clear to the coach that he was not welcome at the service but he showed up anyway. 

'We knew Maison would not want him at his funeral.

'He did not treat Maison kindly. So it was our wish that he would not be there,' she said. 

Another one of their sons approached him and told him to leave. 

Wood was fired from the coaching program after school officials were told about his post. 

He told local outlet Monroe News: 'A lot of things go into it, of course. I need to work on me. 

'It’s much better for the school system for someone else to lead... I didn’t come to this decision lightly.'

The school district's superintendent said: 'He is no longer affiliated in any way with the Bedford football program.'  

A full version of the homily LaCuesta's homily has also emerged but it does not make reference to heaven as the boy's parents said it did.  

According to the version which was circulated on Monday, the priest said: 'I think that we must not call what is bad good, what is wrong right. 

'Because we are Christians, we must say what we know is the truth – that taking your own life is against God who made us and against everyone who loves us. 

'Our lives are not our own. They are not ours to do with as we please. God gave us life, and we are to be good stewards of that gift for as long as God permits.

'The finality of suicide makes this all the worse. You cannot make things right again.' 

He did not mention the word heaven but said: 'Christ Jesus sits at the right hand of God even now, interceding for this one who could not stand before God on his/her own. 

'Truly, none of us can stand before God on our own. We all need Christ to intercede for us, to plead our case. And here's the good news: Christ has never lost a case!'

Though he said that God would forgive 'all', 'even suicide', the fact that he use the word so many times was hurtful to Maison's parents. 

Maison's father Jeff approached the pulpit to try to tell the priest to stop but he continued 

In total, it was mentioned six times. 

'Nothing can separate us from the love of God, the great St. Paul assures us (in that Reading we just listened to). Nothing – including suicide,' he said. 

At one stage, Maison's father approached the pulpit and asked him to stop speaking but he continued on. 

Maison's family said the priest spoke about him as if he was a sinner 

Maison's mother said the priest 'basically' called him a 'sinner'. 

'It was what he wanted. He said nothing about what we asked him to say'.

In addition to his hurtful homily, the priest tried to finish the service without letting Jeff get up to speak. 

'I had words prepared, but when (the priest) was done, he was going to finish mass without giving anybody else the opportunity to say anything. 

'He had the organist start playing and they were going to roll the casket out — some nerve.

'Our funeral director by this time was at the front of the church. We had to have the funeral director walk over and stop the organist,' he said.

The Archdiocese of Detroit apologized on LaCuesta's behalf afterwards. 

'We share the family’s grief at such a profound loss. 

'Our hope is always to bring comfort into situations of great pain, through funeral services centered on the love and healing power of Christ.

'Unfortunately, that did not happen in this case. We understand that an unbearable situation was made even more difficult, and we are sorry.

'After some reflection, the presider agrees that the family was not served as they should have been served. 

'For the foreseeable future, he will not be preaching at funerals and he will have his other homilies reviewed by a priest mentor,' it said. 

If you or anyone you know needs confidential help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website here.  

THE PRIEST'S HOMILY 

It is with great difficulty that I stand before you knowing the pain and anguish you are going through. But I am aware, as well, that I am only a humble, unworthy mouthpiece. I ask God to use my words to bring the light, comfort and healing you need.

Is there any hope to offer in this moment? Must we only speak of our profound grief, our indescribable sorrow, even our anger and confusion at how such a thing could have happened? Is there any word from God that might break into our darkness like a ray of light? Yes, yes, a thousand times. If we Christians are right in believing that salvation belongs to Jesus Christ, that it does not come from us--and that our hand cannot stop what God allows for us, then yes, there is hope in eternity even for those who take their own lives. 

Having said that, I think that we must not call what is bad good, what is wrong right. Because we are Christians, we must say what we know is the truth – that taking your own life is against God who made us and against everyone who loves us. Our lives are not our own. They are not ours to do with as we please. God gave us life, and we are to be good stewards of that gift for as long as God permits. The finality of suicide makes this all the worse. You cannot make things right again. 

Neither can [REDACTED]. And this is much of the pain of it all. 

Things are left unresolved, even if it felt to [REDACTED] like this was the only way to resolve things. You want to turn the clock back and say, 'Please don't give up. We can work through this pain together.'

But now you will have to work through this pain by yourselves, or with those close to you now who will need to lean on you even as you lean on them. 

On most people's mind, however, especially of us who call ourselves Christians, on our minds as we sit in this place is: Can God forgive and heal this?

Yes, God CAN forgive even the taking of one's own life. In fact, God awaits us with his mercy, with ever open arms. Sacred Scripture says clearly: God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). God's abiding mercy is what sets us to ask for it. Although God doesn't dangle his mercy like a carrot, waiting for us to ask for it in order to receive it, we do have to believe in our hearts, express with our words, and show in our actions – that it is always there. 

God wants nothing but our salvation but he will never force himself on us, he will not save us without us. That's how much he loves us. Because of the all embracing sacrifice of Christ on the cross God can have mercy on any sin. Yes, because of his mercy, God can forgive suicide and heal what has been broken. 

Because God is merciful he makes allowance for the spiritual, mental, and emotional despair that leads to suicide. God is able to read the heart, to know the whole truth of a person's life, and thereby to pass sentence with mercy. God knows something we must discipline ourselves to do in these moments – he knows not to judge a person's entire life on the basis of the worst and last choice the person made.

God can look at the totality of a human being's life and celebrate all the good that came from it, even while taking seriously the tragic choice that ended everything. And then he shows his mercy and love in ways beyond our limited understanding. 

Nothing can separate us from the love of God, the great St. Paul assures us (in that Reading we just listened to). Nothing – including suicide. Who will bring any charge against God's chosen ones? St. Paul asks. It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? Christ Jesus sits at the right hand of God even now, interceding for this one who could not stand before God on his/her own. 

Truly, none of us can stand before God on our own. We all need Christ to intercede for us, to plead our case. And here's the good news: Christ has never lost a case! 

What will separate us from the love of Christ? St. Paul answers that question with a display of words that cover everything he can think of in so little space. 

Not death or life, not angels or principalities, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth or any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. What did St. Paul leave out of that list? Nothing. 

He did not list suicide, but he did not list murder or gossip or greed either. He covered all of those things in the final flurry of words that includes anything else in all creation. No deed is too evil to be beyond the forgiveness of Christ. 

No tragedy is too great to separate us from the love of God. If that is so, if the Scriptures can be believed, if God can be trusted even in this, then it gives us hope and guidance for how to manage our sorrow and anger and loss. We give it all to God. We hope...we can only hope. We do not carry it ourselves. We try to give thanks for the blessings of life we knew and shared with [REDACTED], with this child of God. And we remind ourselves that he is not lost to God who seeks to save all of his children. And so, we take great comfort and consolation in all this. 

Nothing-not even suicide-can separate us from the unconditional love of God. It is to this all- merciful love that we, through our prayers, entrust and continue to entrust the soul of [REDACTED]. 

Let us not deny him now of the help he needs most-our love expressed through our trusting prayers. 

My dear friends, today, and in the difficult days to come, when darkness threatens to envelop and darken our hearts, let us raise high the bright light of our Redeemer and proclaim his saving mercy: Praised be Jesus Christ, now and for ever!

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/18/football-coach-is-fired-for-attending-funeral-of-teen-he-bullied-against-his-parents-wishes/
Main photo article A football coach who had been asked not to attend the funeral of a teenage boy who killed himself earlier this month has been fired for ignoring the family’s wishes, attending the service and then taunting them on Facebook after being asked to leave. 
Jeffrey Wood showed up at Maison ...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/17/19/7534162-6504989-image-m-42_1545075626639.jpg