California’s third-largest school district is on the hook for a racial hate crime hoax, and the details appear to get worse with each passing day.
The saga began in 2022, when Fresno Unified School Board Trustee Keshia Thomas claimed that teacher and legendary Bullard High School football coach, Don Arax, called her son the N-word at practice. Arax was forced out of his coaching position in the middle of his 24th season as a result (he was not technically fired, as he maintained his teaching position). As you could guess, Arax filed a defamation lawsuit. In a 2025 deposition, Thomas said that she never claimed Arax called her son the N-word (even though she did), and she has since issued a non-apology “apology” for accusing Arax of doing so (even though she said in a deposition that she did not).
