Chinle Players, State Rep Tsosie Allege Racial Taunts by Coolidge Crowd

Coolidge, Chinle High School players and coaches said members of the visiting Coolidge crowd directed racial taunts and other abusive conduct, with state Rep. Myron Tsosie saying the players “were taunted, called racially abusive names and spit on” after a 64-53 loss in the Class 3A Conference quarterfinal playoffs on Feb. 20, 2026. Tsosie said he is collecting videos and witness statements and will press the Arizona Interscholastic Association to investigate.

The game took place Friday night at Coolidge, where Coolidge High School defeated Chinle 64-53 in the 3A quarterfinal round. Reports identify the incident as occurring after the playoff game; the allegation of spitting and racial taunts was made public in a statement Tsosie released the following day, which several local outlets republished on Feb. 21.

Rep. Myron Tsosie, identified in reports as D-Chinle and a member of the Chinle Unified School District governing board, framed the conduct as a safety and policy issue. Tsosie said, “Our students and fans should not have to endure this kind of behavior and be made to feel unsafe at what is supposed to be a fun, exciting and positive experience.” He added that “This was unacceptable and clearly violates AIA's harassment policy,” and told reporters he has received several videos from family members and fans and is assembling those materials to submit a complaint to AIA officials next week.

The organization Tsosie plans to contact is the Arizona Interscholastic Association, commonly referenced by the acronym AIA in state high school athletics. Some published accounts used the variant name Arizona Intercollegiate Association; the statewide governing body for high school sports is the Arizona Interscholastic Association, and Tsosie’s statement cited AIA policy when calling for action.

Initial reporting quotes the allegations as coming from Chinle players and coaches and attributes the summary language to Tsosie’s statement. Those reports do not include on-the-record comments from Coolidge High School, Coolidge Unified School District officials or the Arizona Interscholastic Association about the specific allegations, and no law enforcement action or disciplinary sanctions were reported in the accounts released Feb. 21.

The wider coverage also noted a separate, proximate incident cited by azcentral involving a Native American spectator at an O’Connor High event. Azcentral’s copy referred to Jackie Mattingly and to Jamie Mattingly, identified as Native American and the mother of Central players John and Grant Mattingly, saying she was asked to relocate at O’Connor High and left the game after an official threatened to call police.

Tsosie’s next steps, as outlined in his statement, are the immediate collection of video evidence and witness statements and the submission of a formal complaint to AIA officials next week, which will prompt an AIA review under its harassment policy.