hooters-beaverton-2004.jpg

Hooters is the intended destination for a Corbett middle-school football team party.

(Steve Nehl/The Oregonian)

UPDATE: In an interview, coach Burbach defended his choice of Hooters as the venue for a middle-school football party.

Corbett Middle School's football coach plans to wrap up the team's season by taking his 12- to 14-year-old players to Hooters, a restaurant best known for female servers in tight tanktops.

In a letter written to “

,” Athletic Director J.P. Soulagnet said he tried to persuade coach Randy Burbach to move the event to another location, so that "families could attend and feel comfortable." But Burbach was “unyielding and emphatically said no,” Soulagnet wrote.

The letter was posted on the Corbett School District website this morning. [Full text is below.] Burbach could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mike Painter, a parent volunteer, praised Burbach and said it would be a shame if the Hooters controversy resulted in him not continuing as coach.

"It would be a huge loss for the kids," Painter said. "This guy is as good as it gets."

Soulagnet's note mentions one athletic patron who announced by email that his family would not attend the celebration if it were held at Hooters. But the athletic director said the discomfort level in the district is widespread.

“I spoke to many people over the weekend regarding the location of the event and time after time they looked at me in disbelief," Soulagnet wrote. "I started the conversation off with posing a question. Outside of a bar, tavern, or strip club where would be the next worse place in the lines of restaurants to take a middle school football team to? Time after time the reply was Hooters.”

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The athletic director said the football party is no longer affiliated with Corbett Middle School, and it appears Burbach and perhaps other team coaches might not be far behind. Soulagnet wrote that he “cannot further support them in coaching roles here at Corbett based on the unwillingness to change the location of this event to a more appropriate spot.”

Painter, the parent volunteer, said Burbach bought the kids dinner after every game and also bought them pizza when they went to his house to review film for game preparation. He also took them on a team trip to Mount Hood. Painter guesses that Burbach spent $1,000 to $2,000 of his own money.

"He went so far over and above what any coach would do," Painter said. "It's unbelievable. It's because he cares."

Painter said he didn't personally have a problem with having the party at Hooters, which he said was chosen for its fun and "family" atmosphere and it gave them an ability to show some season video highlights. But because there were some concerns, Painter said perhaps changing party locations would be appropriate. He said he saw emails from 2-3 concerned parents.

The

, known for its nationally recognized and

, serves a rural area at the east end of Multnomah County. The closest Hooters to the unincorporated community is in

, according to the restaurant chain's website.

Phil Pearson, principal of the district's middle and high schools, posted Soulagnet's letter on the district's website and said he supported his AD's approach.

Here is the full text of the letter:

An important notice about MS Football

November 4, 2013

By Phil Pearson

This is the text of the letter Athletic Director JP Soulagnet sent out to the families of MS football players. I fully endorse JP’s approach to this issue.

Dear Families and Friends of Corbett 7th/8th Grade Football –

First I want to thank Brian Davis for the e-mail he sent out regarding the end of the year celebration and the fact that he and his family will not be in attendance. I spoke with Randy Burbach this evening and asked him to move the event to a different venue so that all of the athletes and their families could attend and feel comfortable about the location and enjoy the season. He was unyielding and emphatically said no for a number of reasons. As a school district and athletic department we do not support nor condone the decision to hold an end of season celebration at Hooter’s for any of our teams, groups, or clubs cross the board and at at all levels including high school. This was a choice made by Randy Burbach on his own accord. This is no longer a Corbett Middle School Football event.

I’m disappointed on a many different levels. The one that affects me the most however is the fact that “the team” is the one that loses out. It has become an issue that is no longer about your boys.

Another unfortunate thing is that we will lose coaches that did a great job turning a group of middle school boys into a cohesive, affective football team. I’m very supportive of the time and effort that they have put in and contributed towards Corbett Football but cannot further support them in coaching roles here at Corbett based on the unwillingness to change the location of this event to a more appropriate spot.

I spoke to many people over the weekend regarding the location of the event and time after time they looked at me in disbelief. I started the conversation off with posing a question. Outside of a bar, tavern, or strip club where would be the next worse place in the lines of restaurants to take a middle school football team to? Time after time the reply was Hooters.

Their menu and food is good! They however are not known worldwide for their family style restaurant. If you have never been to a Hooter’s restaurant you can visit their website at www.hooters.com. This international chain bills itself as “delightfully tacky yet unrefined”.

Some might say that this restaurant objectifies women. I would tend to agree. It is not a restaurant that I would feel good about my wife or daughter working at. I think it sends the wrong message to our young men and that saddens and worries me the most. I’m surprised that more families are not concerned. If my son had played on this team our family would not be in attendance as well. As a 21 year old he was shocked about the location.