The kid is AUTISTIC. Do you get that? I have been around autistic kids. My nephew is autistic and totally uncoordinated and isn't able to protect himself. He is 8 right now. It was an assault. This was not a normal kid here. Tossing a hard ball to injure a special needs kid is not just a fireable offense. No, the kid wasn't hurt. No thanks to this ass. He very well could have been. The coach was also very aware that the kid was defenseless.
No, this isn't namby pamby liberal crap. I would have kicked that coaches ass until the cops pulled me off and took my time in jail like a man if it was my nephew he was trying to injure.
You might think throwing a hard ball at a seven year old mentally challenged kid is just bad manners, but where I come from it's a sign of masculinity to actually be protective of those who are weak, not in some BS PC way but with dignity.
Trying to injure this poor child is something that could have gone way wrong. That is why this was an assault that needed prosecution. Not just a firing.
I believe the sentence is way too harsh for the offense, but I do agree that some jail time is in order.