Two Alabama high school football coaches have resigned from their positions after disturbing videos surfaced online, showing team staffers engaging in inappropriate behavior with players.
Drew Gilmer, the head coach, and Adam Helms, the defensive coordinator, stepped down from their roles at Hoover High School, the school district announced during a Thursday board meeting. The decision comes after the coaches were initially placed on leave on Tuesday, following the emergence of the shocking footage on social media.
The videos, which have sparked widespread outrage, show coaches behaving in a manner that is unacceptable and potentially abusive. In one clip, a coach is seen ripping the helmet off a player, while another coach thrusts his hips in the player’s face. A second video shows a coach charging at a player and ripping off another high schooler’s helmet, causing him to fall to the ground.
The Hoover City School System has not publicly confirmed the identities of the coaches involved, but Superintendent has acknowledged the incidents and emphasized the district’s commitment to supporting the affected students and staff.
Alabama State Rep. Juandalyn Givan, who is representing the family of one of the students seen in the videos, has identified Gilmer as one of the coaches involved and condemned his actions. “We are here as legal counsel for a family whose 17-year-old child has been subjected to an experience no child should ever go through,” Givan said at a press conference.
Givan emphasized that the family is prepared to “pursue every legal avenue” and that the incident has nothing to do with Gilmer’s coaching abilities, but rather with the unacceptable behavior depicted in the videos. “This has everything to do with what was depicted on the video, in an instance that left pause and concern… not just in Alabama, but throughout the sports industry as a whole,” she said.
The Hoover Police Department has launched an investigation into the matter, and the Special Victims Unit is involved. The student at the center of the incident was just 16 years old at the time of the video, and his lawyers say he is emotionally distraught and humiliated by the experience.
