It’s not uncommon for a football coach to show emotion and sometimes frustration when leading a team, even at the high school level. But one Georgia high school coach took it a little too far this week, and it got him arrested.
Over the weekend a video went viral on social media showing what appears to be an assistant coach punching a player in the stomach on the sideline.
Not only is the coach facing disciplinary action from the school district, but he has also been arrested.
On top of the obvious: how on earth do you think punching football players is gonna go for you buddy pic.twitter.com/kjsnUV4Xfg
— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) August 28, 2023
It turns out that the coach was a lay coach for Mays High School in Georgia, meaning he is not a classroom instructor. Lay coaches – called “community coaches” by the Georgia High School Association, are coaching assistants who do not teach in the school or hold professional certification. They are required to complete a GHSA training program.
“A lay coach for Mays High School, who is not a classroom instructor, is in police custody after an incident that occurred on the sideline during the school’s game this afternoon against Douglas County High School,” APS media relations director Seth Coleman said in a statement, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Video from the live broadcast of the game appears to show the lay coach physically assaulting a player. The adult … faces administrative charges from the district as well.”
“The safety and well-being of all APS students remains a high priority for the district, and all APS employees are held to the highest standard of conduct and professionalism,” the statement said.
It’s certainly a wild thing to be caught on camera.
