Following video of staff members pulling off helmets and pushing hips in players’ faces during practice, two high school football coaches in Alabama resigned
Two Alabama high school football coaches have resigned in the wake of tapes that surfaced that appeared to depict improper behavior during practices. Following their placement on administrative leave, Hoover High School football team head coach Drew Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms resigned, the school system said during a special meeting of the board of education on Thursday.
The films, which WBRC was able to obtain, show disturbing scenes: in one, a coach is seen shoving his hips into the face of a player who is lying on the ground, and in another, a coach is seen removing a player’s helmet after a tackle. In a second video, a coach is seen sprinting across the field to take a player’s helmet off after they have fallen during an exercise.
The occurrences have alarmed state representative Juandalyn Givan (D-Jefferson), who said, “This has nothing to do with him being a good coach on the field of play.” It is entirely related to what was seen in the video, which raised questions and caused pause not only in Alabama but also in the sports business at large.
The coaches’ names in the recordings have not been verified by the Hoover School District. Superintendent of Hoover Schools Kevin Maddox stressed the district’s dedication to the safety and wellbeing of its students in a statement. According to Maddox, “many of our varsity football players, coaches, and the entire Hoover Community have found the last few days to be extremely unsettling.” “We continue to have high standards for both our staff and kids. Our current priorities include helping our football players and coaching personnel.
According to AL.com, Givan, who represents the players in question, denounced the conduct as gravely improper and said that the 17-year-old athlete in question had gone through something that “no child should ever go through regardless of whether it’s on the field of play.”
The team’s season is scheduled to start in Miami, Florida on August 24, and the school district has named offensive coordinator Chip English as the team’s acting head coach in reaction to the event. The incidents shown in the videos are presently being looked into by the Hoover Police Department.
On social media, a few student-athletes expressed their support for the coaches who quit. “Coach Gilmer and Coach Helms are wonderful! Ask any player currently on the team. One student wrote, “They’ve done a lot for us and the Hoover program.” “We should be able to keep him as our coach if the players want him to be that way,” another said. Even though he coaches a little differently, he still succeeds!
Gilmer was formerly employed as head coach at Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Alabama, where he finished with an 81-12 record. Gilmer was hired in January. Helms had come from Clay-Chalkville to Hoover High School to join Gilmer.
