Manny Ray Gonzales is a black belt under Ricardo Guimaraes and runs his own Ralph Gracie affiliate gym in Sacramento. A full-time Brazilian Jiu Jitsu teacher and athlete, it’s fair to say that he has influence in his local community, at least where BJJ is concerned.
Firstly, it should be stated that some of these conversations have not yet been revealed from the victim, who claims to have hard evidence in the form of voice messages. However, Gonzales later admitted a racial slur by use of a Facebook apology, meaning something clearly went on.
Earlier this year it was revealed that he had apparently used racist remarks against an ex-students father. The story goes that the ex-student left his gym at the age of 12. Whilst this may understandably upset a coach, it is sadly a part of BJJ that often goes on. For instance, the Ruotolo twins famously left AOJ for ATOS when they were teens. Although painful, this happens and as a teacher, you have to accept this.
It seems that at first, Gonzales was fine with his students departure…until two years later that is. According to the father, Gonzales left a voice message that said “If you want it, you know where to find me you dumb f*****g n****r”. Obviously, you can fill in the blanks for yourself. Ironically, he also bragged about carrying a firearm which was ironic considering he taught self defense classes, texting “I also don’t fight fair bro. I carry. So try me. I dare you?” and also added “All black people are buddies.”
After this information surfaced, Gonzales was quick to make a public apology on Facebook. Although his apology was somewhat vague, he also admitted using a racial slur. The post can be seen below.
Interestingly, the students father commented on this – saying “There is a difference between anger and hate. Please address the unnecessarily racially motivated issue at hand.” Clearly, the parent was rightfully annoyed at the actions of Gonzales.
Sadly, tales of power-hungry BJJ teachers are all too common and every now and then stories get leaked that show seemingly-popular coaches get highlighted for bad behaviour. Perhaps without hard proof, the apology or story may have never seen the light of day either, which shows how things can often go unseen in the public eye.
