Pop Warner has concluded its investigation into allegations a man yelled the n-word at an opposing team's coaches in a postgame incident last month ... and determined he did NOT use racially-charged language.
We broke the story -- an assistant coach for the Highlands Ranch Mountain Lions in Colorado was accused of hurling the slur towards Hamden Hurricanes (CT) staffers at the teams' hotel in Orlando following their matchup in the Div. 2 12U quarterfinals of the Pop Warner National Championships on Dec. 3
TMZ Sports has learned ... the youth football organization formed a committee of three independent regional vice directors to review footage of the altercation.
Pop Warner says the committee concluded the assistant coach actually used a different derogatory word when addressing the Hamden Hurricanes (CT) staffers ... saying, "The coach did not use the 'N' word, as had been alleged."
"The review found that the coach said the other team would have been beat by 'a bunch of f***ing m****ts' had the game been officiated differently," the statement says.
"He used the word 'm****ts' to describe his own undersized team."
The coach was cleared of using a racial slur, but PW still handed down a one-year suspension for "using profanity and acting in a manner that reflects negatively on Pop Warner."
The punishment was effective as of January 1, 2023.