[bigboydan]

Trial begins Tuesday for man accused of shooting coach

CANTON, Texas Opening statements start tomorrow in the trial of Jeff Doyal Robertson in the shooting last April of Canton High School's then-football coach, Gary Joe Kinne (KIH'-nee).

Kinne has a new job as Baylor University's linebackers coach. He's put his East Texas home up for sale, and he says his gunshot wound to the abdomen has mostly healed.

He says the last step before completely moving on is the trial of the player's parent accused of shooting him in his fieldhouse office at the East Texas school.

Prosecutors say Robertson barged into Kinne's office April Seventh and fired a single shot before fleeing the school campus in his pickup. Robertson's charged with aggravated assault against a public servant.

Robertson's a heating and air conditioning repairman whose son played on Canton's freshmen football team with Kinne's quarterback son.

Robertson's attorney, Robert Perkins of Tyler, doesn't dispute his client was the gunman. But he contends a high school football coach doesn't meet the standard of a public servant. That's an aggravating factor in the charge that could send his client to prison for life, if he's convicted.

[Willie Bee]

Dan, us yee-haw Texans have been known to go a'huntin' over cheerleader tryouts, so shooting football coaches really doesn't seem all that outlandish in many ways

Oh, and I'm not sure about the argument whether or not coaches/teachers are public servants, but air conditioning repairmen sure are during our 10-month summers

[SBR_John]

Iza about to say; exactly what shows we take football too seriously?

[bigboydan]

willie bee, i thought you texans banned cheerleading events down there

[Willie Bee]

Not that I know of, but my wife has banned me from attending any

[jumper]

my sons high school football coach just accepted the receivers coach position at rice for next year.i believe this is to tap into recruiting in the dfw and north texas market.he told me about his offensive line coach who gave up a 6 figure income to coach.football is everything to many here,and scholarship opportunities are abundant.i hear about different college coaches visiting the offseason weight training programs currently going on.at least this keeps my boy off drugs and focused

[Willie Bee]

When you can draw 1,000+ to a 6-man playoff game, then you know people take it seriously.

[bigboydan]

when i first read this story. the first thing i thought of was the football coach in that movie saving silverman.