Football: Simi Valley coach fired over music video

Otis Newell, who has coached football at Simi Valley High, was fired because of negative depictions in a music video, CBS LA reported. He appeared in a hip-hop music video.

"“I just think this just went way too far, way too fast,” Newell told CBS LA. “It’s a depiction of pretty much how I grew up, and there’s no secret that in the city where I come from, drugs and gang violence were everyday parts of my life.”

Newell, who grew up in Watts, said he received a letter from the district office stating, “Please know the decision to terminate you as a coach with our district is strictly related to our desire to separate our district and our schools from any affiliation with negative images and illegal activity, whether real or fictitious.”

Twitter:@LATSondheimer