Football Coach Fired After Punishing Bullying Player

DURHAM, Conn.  - (CBS) A football coach who was fired after he punished a child for allegedly bullying one of his teammates is getting national support.

Todd Kennedy told WTNH-TV that he had a talk with his players about bullying, but heard later that it kept happening. He says he told the boy responsible for the bullying to run laps around the field, then praised him afterward for doing it without complaining.

The volunteer coach of the Durham Middlefield football team was suspended the following day, then fired after the league's board members said he didn't handle the situation properly.

The team is made up of players between the fourth and sixth grades.