Neshaminy coach dismissed from team after head-butt incident

The Bucks County high school basketball coach who got into a highly publicized scuffle with a referee has been permanently dismissed from his coaching duties.

Jerry Devine had been suspended from his position as the head coach of the boys' varsity basketball team at Neshaminy High School since the Jan. 5 incident.

He was officially removed from his coaching duties during a Tuesday night school board meeting.

Devine, a special-education instructor who teaches history and algebra, was briefly on administrative leave but has returned to the classroom. His teaching status remains unchanged, the school district said.

Devine has been charged with harassment, a summary offense, for allegedly head-butting a referee during his team's 49-42 loss to visiting Pennsbury High School. Video of the incident, which knocked the ref to the ground, was widely circulated online.

The 15-year Neshaminy teaching veteran had been the basketball coach for 10 years.

Assistant Coach John Mason has been leading the team since Devine's suspension. A permanent new coach has not been named, according to a school district spokesman.