San Diego coaches return to field hours after suspension for blackface

Two football coaches showed up to work up the Serra High School football game over the weekend just hours after they were suspended for wearing blackface to a Halloween costume party.

KGTV reported that head varsity football coach Brian Basteyns, assistant football coach Howard Seeley and an unidentified teacher had been seen with their faces painted black and dressed as members of the "Cool Runnings" Jamaican bobsled team. After a photo began to circulate on Facebook, all three were suspended.

"They are very regretful for the incident and express they never meant any malicious intent to any person or group of persons," Superintendent Cindy Marten told KGTV. "They have expressed a deep sense of remorse for the impact of their actions. They send their apologies to any person or group of people they have offended, and want to make it clear it was not their intention to offend anyone."

Marten called the incident a "teaching moment."

But some parents were shocked to see both Basteyns and Seeley coaching Friday night's game.

"If they're going to be suspended it should be consecutive days back to back," parent Marco Franco insisted to KNSD. “Why are we letting the coaches pick which days they are suspended?”

"Was it done maliciously? I believe it was not; however bad judgment, yes," he added.

Parent Monica Mohr defended the coaches as "great mentors, they're great people."

"We're glad to see them on the field. We're glad to see they are here for the boys and at the end of the day it's about the boys," she said.

Watch this video from KNSD, broadcast Nov. 3, 2013.