|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
High School |
| |
|||
| Wednesday, July 16 |
|||
| Denver football coach resigns By Jeff Goodman SchoolSports.com | |||
|
Suspended Denver South High (Colo.) football coach Harold Johnson resigned from his position three days after an incident in which his brother allegedly pointed a gun at one of his assistant coaches following practice. "It was the saddest day of my life," Johnson said about giving his resignation on Sunday. Johnson, a firefighter in his third season coaching South, was suspended for the rest of the season after his brother, Steve Johnson, allegedly pointed a gun at an assistant coach on Thursday. A second coach, assistant Clayton Rollins, was also suspended, while assistant Mike Watson was asked to go on leave. Watson said Steve Johnson pointed a handgun at Watson's chest. Steve Johnson, 47, who was not on the coaching staff or affiliated with the school, was later arrested on suspicion of felony menacing. According to the Denver Post, South principal Shawn N. Batterberry interviewed most of the participants and can't be sure what happened because of a variety of stories. But he noted that at least four witnesses said they saw a gun during the dispute. No shots were fired, however. "My brother was arrested on the 50-yard line on the middle of the field, didn't leave the scene and the police didn't find a gun," Harold Johnson told SchoolSports.com. "Where could he have hid anything?" The coaches were apparently arguing about how certain plays should be run and whether one player should be excused from exercises, according to the Post. However, Harold Johnson told SchoolSports.com that the problems stemmed from Watson and another assistant coach, Herman White, verbally and physically abusing players. "It had nothing to do with strategy or anything like that," said Johnson, who was a childhood friend of White. "That always went my way, but I had two abusive coaches that I was not allowed to get rid of. "I don't believe that it is necessary to verbally or physically abuse an athlete. I am not making allegations against these two individuals that are not documented." There are several documented instances in which White was disciplined during the past two seasons, including a letter from Batterberry on Sept. 1 that informed White of a one-week suspension. Adrian Tyson and Jim Hoops were named co-head coaches for the remainder of the year and guided the team to a 27-14 victory over Thomas Jefferson High on Saturday. South improved to 8-1 and claimed its first Denver Prep Conference title in more than 25 years. When Johnson took over the program two years ago, South was 0-10. South features one of the state's top players, sophomore tailback Lendale White, who is Herman White's nephew and is on pace to break the state career rushing mark. "The fact of the matter is that Denver South High allowed this to go on," said Johnson. "Herman told me, 'If I leave, Lendale leaves.'" White carried the ball 26 times for 180 yards in the win over Thomas Jefferson. Johnson isn't certain if his future will include coaching. "My passion and love of kids and coaching is still there," said Johnson. "But I don't know what would make me get back into coaching. For now, I'm going to dedicate myself to my family and the fire department."
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
||
|
|