Players who tackled Texas referee break silence: Teens claim coach told them, 'You need to hit the ref. He needs to pay the price,' after allegedly using N-word

• John Jay High School were losing to Marble Falls when tackle took place September 4
• John Jay senior Michael Moreno and sophomore Victor Rojas said on Good Morning America they were following assistant coach's orders 
• Both claimed referee Robert Watts called African-American player the N-word, and Rojas said he also told his friend: 'Speak English. This is America'   
• Watts has denied using racial slurs through his attorney, saying he was being slandered   
• Moreno and Rojas expressed remorse for their actions, and the senior insisted that he is not a 'thug' 
• Both were suspended for three days from the team and school; assistant coach Mack Breed is on paid leave 

By Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com and Chris Pleasance

Published: 10:17 EST, 18 September 2015 | Updated: 15:38 EST, 18 September 2015

Two high school football players who were filmed tackling an unsuspecting Texas referee during a game broke their silence Friday, claiming that they were acting at the direction of an assistant coach.

Robert Watts, a 14-year veteran referee, was blindsided and knocked off his feet by John Jay High School players Michael Moreno and Victor Rojas in the last minute of a game against Marble Falls High School earlier this month.

Moreno, a senior, and Rojas, a sophomore, have alleged that Watts had used racial slurs against some players earlier in the game - a claim the referee is denying.

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Speaking out: John Jay High School senior Michael Moreno (left) and sophomore Victor Rojas (right) appeared on Good Morning America to talk about how they tackled a Texas referee  

Finger of blame: Moreno (left) said John Jay assistant coach Mack Breed (right) told him to hit the referee as payback or bad calls and the alleged use of racial slurs

Officials for the school district say they are planning a full investigation including interviews with the players, coaches and referee involved (pictured, the referee is pushed to the floor)

Referee Robert Watts who was filmed being tackled from behind by two players has denied directing racial slurs at the students before the incident

Speaking exclusively to ABC's George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America Friday, Moreno and Rojas reiterated their earlier claim, pointing a finger of blame at John Jay assistant coach Mack Breed.

'You put your trust into this grown-up, this guardian, your coach, who's been there for me. ... I trust him. I did what I was told,' said Moreno.

Contested claim: Referee Robert Watts has denied through his lawyer using racial slurs on the players  

According to the high schooler, Breed pulled him and another player aside and told them: 'you need to hit the ref. He needs to pay the price.'

Asked to explain the reason for Breed’s alleged order, Moreno said there were racial slurs being thrown at players by the referee.

'I just did what I was told,’ said the senior.

The other player did not partake in the attack on Watts, but Rojas did.

The sophomore said he personally overheard Watts tell one of his Hispanic friends, 'Speak English. This is America.

Both Rojas and Moreno claimed that the umpire also used the N-word when addressing an African-American player.

The two John Jay students were suspended from the team and school for three days and could potentially face criminal charges going forward. Assistant coach Mack Breed is currently on paid leave. He has not publicly commented on the allegations against him.

During the interview on ABC, the pair expressed remorse for their actions

‘It was hard for me during the whole thing to actually do what I did,’ said Moreno. ‘I'm greatly sorry for this and I regret it greatly, and I just hope that people can change their mind about us and lighten up our consequences.

Remorseful: Both Moreno and Rojas said they were sorry for their actions. The senior also said he wants people to know he is not a 'thug' or a 'gangster' 

Two football players from John Jay High School were filmed tackling a referee from behind during a game against Marble Falls before diving into him on the floor

Moreno, an honors student and aspiring aerospace engineer, then added: ‘Everyone sees me as this thug or this gangster, I did this because I’m this bad guy … that’s not who I am. Underneath the helmet and the pads, I’m really a great kid. School is my first priority.’

Rojas also chimed in, saying that if given the opportunity, he would apologize to Watts for his 'mistake.'  

Alan Goldberger, an attorney for Watts, earlier said the players were ‘flat-out lying’ about the racial slurs, adding that Watts is now considering taking legal action against them.

‘This is a very common tactic to make the victim of a crime responsible for the crime against them,’ he told ABC News.

He said it was one that was commonly used in officiating situations.

‘These were not two year-olds,’ he added. ‘They knew full well that somebody may have been hurt.’

But he added that despite fearing for his safety after the incident, Watts wants to continue officiating.

According to the New York Times, Goldberger added 'They just brutally blindsided him. He never saw it coming, obviously.' 

The boys, named locally as Victor Rojas and Mike Moreno, were suspended from the team and from the school, but are now also being investigated by the police 

Texas has specific laws to deal with attacks on sports officials, meaning the players are facing a maximum of six months in jail alongside a fine of up to $2,000 (pictured, the referee falls to the floor, center)

Last Tuesday, Watts spoke out about the incident for the first time, saying that although he usually likes 'to keep quiet', he felt the need to speak out as 'libel and slander have been committed against me'.

His comments came as police began investigating the John Jay High School players.

Under Texas laws that specifically deal with attacks on sports officials, the pair could be facing up to six months behind bars and fines of up to $2,000.

Speaking to Texashsfootball.com, Watts said: 'I like to keep my officiating quiet; unfortunately this will be big news.

'Libel and slander have already been committed against me. I will be contacting the appropriate people soon and any statement from me will come at a later date.'

A statement released by John Jay school district said: 'The students involved allege that the official used a racial slur towards them and a Jay High School assistant coach made comments that could have led the students to make improper contact with the official.

'The assistant coach [Mack Breed] has been placed on administrative leave by the district while the investigation continues.

'The district is in the process of filing an official report to the Texas Association of Sports Officials regarding the racial slur allegations.'

Police have said that they believe the players 'targeted' Watts during the game before he was 'blindsided' during a last-minute play.

Marble Falls had come from behind to take a 15-9 lead and were looking to run down the clock in the final minute of the game to claim victory.

Earlier in the game, the referee had sent two John Jay players off the field for incidents in separate plays.

Apparently angered by his calls, the John Jay defensive backs waited for play to start on their 20-yard line before running at the official.

The first player, wearing a number 12 jersey, shoulder-barges the unsuspecting man in the back as he watches the play in front of him with enough forced to knock his hat off.

The second player, who seems to be wearing jersey 81, then dives in helmet first as the official lays winded on the ground before play is stopped and they are both sent off the field.

Pascual Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Northside Independent School District, called footage of the foul 'extremely disturbing' and said an investigation is being launched.

He said a hearing is now due to be held including interviews with officials, coaches and students.

As play begins the unsuspecting official looks on while the John Jay defensive backs rush towards him, sprinting five yards before making contact

Marble Falls coach Matt Green said John Jay coach Gary Gutierrez apologized after the game, before adding: 'I've coached 14 years and I've never seen anything like it.'

According to reports after the game, the official was 'very upset' by what happened, and could be planning legal action.

The penalties resulting from the illegal tackle handed Marble Falls a first down, and they were able to run out the clock for a 15-9 win.

Marble Falls had opened the scoring in the game within just minutes of the starting whistle as they completed a 53 yard drive in 12 plays to bring the score to 7-0, according to the Daily Trib.

John Jay tied the score shortly afterwards with a 10-yard throw for a touchdown, before an end-zone sack of the Marble Falls quarterback left the score at 9-7.

However, with around nine minutes left in the game, Marble Falls ran in another touchdown plus a two-point conversion to bring the score to 15-9, which is how the game ended.

The first tackle (pictured) is hard enough to knock the official's hat off as he falls to the floor, before the second player (left) dives in helmet first

Marble Falls coach Matt Green said John Jay coach Gary Gutierrez apologized after the game, before adding: 'I've coached 14 years and I've never seen anything like it'

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