A California high school football coach has been fired after video surfaced of him kicking a ball into a student player’s groin during an angry outburst at practice.
Adam Brubaker has been identified as the former coach at Royal High School in Simi Valley. The former head coach said he’s been teaching at the school for two years. However, he has over 20 years of experience coaching young athletes.
On Friday (August 21), the Simi Valley Unified School District decided to fire Brubaker. The move arrived just hours before the school’s season-opening game, leaving them leaning on the assistant coach. The decision arrived after officials reviewed video showing Brubaker visibly upset during practice.
Brubaker said the incident occurred on Wednesday (August 19) after a player “violently pulled a running back to the ground.” He explained that players are banned from knocking down other team members during drills because it poses risks of injury.
While scolding his players, Brubaker ended up angrily kicking the football. It just so happened to directly fly into the groin of one of his student player’s. The teen athlete held onto his groin and fell to the ground in pain.
California High School Football Coach Apologizes After Kicking Ball Into Student Player’s Groin
Recalling the incident, Brubaker told ABC 7 LA Eyewitness News that he did not strike the student player on purpose. He explained:
“I kicked the ball and it hit him in the groin area. And, I mean, instantly, I felt like I was going to pass out. I feel obviously a great deal of remorse for what happened. It’s a one in a million shot. When we finished practice, I went back over to him. I apologized.”
Following his firing, Brubaker said he understands the school district’s decision. He also shared, “Nothing has been harder in my life than the last three days. It has been an absolute trying time for me, my wife, and my kids.”
On Friday, the principal of Royal High School issued a statement to the families of its football players. It read:
“I want to provide you with an update regarding our football program. The District has completed its review of the incident from earlier this week. As a result, the leadership of Royal High School’s football program will immediately change. Cody MacArthur will serve as Head Coach for the Royal High School football team tonight. An interim head coach will be named shortly. Our focus now is to support our student-athletes, provide stability for the program, and help the team move forward together. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding throughout this process and look forward to supporting our players and coaches for the remainder of the season. Go Highlanders!”
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!