Assistant coach resigns after bounty accusation

Amid allegations that he placed a bounty on a New Hope-Solebury player in a Bicentennial Athletic League football game last Saturday, Morrisville assistant coach Jason Bresnen has resigned his position as defensive coordinator.

New Hope-Solebury parents on the sideline at William Tennent High during the Lions' 29-6 victory over the Bulldogs said that Bresnen told Morrisville's players he would pay $100 to anyone who knocked out the New Hope-Solebury player.

"I did mention $100, which was bad judgment on my part, but it was not in the context that those parents said it was," said Bresnen, a 1995 Morrisville grad who was a quarterback and middle linebacker for the Bulldogs.

"We wanted to get him out of the game. Getting him out of the game doesn't mean taking him out. It means wearing him down. You want to stop their leading rusher."

The Morrisville School District said in a statement Wednesday that the incident "was reported to Morrisville by officials of the New Hope high school. Immediately, Morrisville administrators, football coaches, and staff began working with New Hope-Solebury to assemble the facts and ultimately resolve this issue.

"Subsequently, our assistant football coach offered his resignation today, citing personal reasons. We believe this matter has been resolved in the best interest of all parties. . . . Because this is a personnel issue, we are not permitted to make further public comment."

Morrisville first-year coach William Quill said, "We lost a great coach. That's all I can really say."

New Hope-Solebury coach Jim DiTulio, citing the instructions of district superintendent Dr. Raymond J. Boccuti, declined comment.

Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019, robrien@phillynews.com, or @ozoneinq on Twitter.