A week after
local and national media stories revealed that the Cleveland Warriors, an amateur football team made up of area first responders and police officers, had welcomed Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland cop who shot and killed Tamir Rice, onto the team in recent years, the squad's president has allegedly resigned.
That's what president Bill Sofranko texted a former player who had organized a protest at a Warriors practice, as first reported locally by
Ideastream.
“You win, I resign now back off for the good of the team. Call off your people,” he said.
Ideastream additionally reported Loehmann is also no longer part of the team.
His inclusion was the subject of stories, including by the
New York Times, and the subject of concern by former players, all of whom are Black. While some alleged the team took some effort to conceal Loehmann's identity, others knew and played alongside the former police officer for at least two years.
One former player and current coach who is also Black told the Times, speaking anonymously, “I got to know Tim personally. He was remorseful. He was apologetic.”
Sofranko has said he didn't question whether Loehmann should have been allowed to play and that Randy Knight, the protest organizer, enlisted the Tamir issue after being told he couldn't play on the team any longer since he was no longer an active corrections officer.
While Loehmann continues to fight to get his job back with the Cleveland police after being fired for lying on his job application, he also doesn't currently work in law enforcement.
Knight, meanwhile, said that six players, all Black, had been forced off the team in the past two years after voicing opposition to Loehmann's place on the roster.
