Charges against two football officials dropped

The saga concerning football officials Jim Radcliffe and Chris Gambino took a sharp turn in
their favor yesterday following a press conference held by Covington Mayor Mike Cooper
held at City Hall.
Mayor Cooper said he and newly appointed police chief Tim Lentz asked District Attorney Walter
Reed to drop the public intimidation charges brought against the two officials and the DA agreed. The two officials were arrested during the third quarter of last Friday night's District 6-5A game between the home team St. Paul's Wolves and the visiting Mandeville Skippers at Hunter Stadium, which was won by St.
Paul's, 20-3.
Yesterday's reversal to not go forward with the charges came just two days after Cooper said the
city of Covington and the Police Department would investigate the incident.
Covington Police Chief Lentz said, "Things should've been handled differently, and officers
should have used"discretion, compassion."
Mayor Cooper said, "On behalf of the city of Covington, I offer my sincere apology to Mr.
Radcliffe and Mr. Gambino for the manner in which this was handled."
"We all agree this could have easily been handled differently. It is my goal to put this matter behind us, gain credibility for the Covington Police Department under the new leadership and restore a positive image to our
great city," added Mayor Cooper.