Two Florida football coaches tangle over player transfers following hurricane tweet
By Keith Farner
Published:
A football coach at a Tallahassee high school power is facing backlash after a tweet he sent following Hurricane Michael has caused some to wonder about his motive.
Corey Fuller coaches at Godby High School, which is undefeated and is quarterbacked by Jimbo Fisher’s son, Trey. He reportedly sent this tweet, which has since been deleted, after the hurricane swept through the Panhandle, some 60 miles from Tallahassee, according to a report in Yahoo! Sports.
“To all kids that was affected by the storm,” Fuller posted, “Godby is a great school. We love all kids. If you need a school we are here for y’all. God bless.”
Beau Johnson is a high school football coach at Blountstown High School in Blountstown, a town of about 2,500, about 50 miles north of the Gulf. Johnson heard about the tweet as he returned to town after escaping the area to north Georgia during the storm’s initial impact.
It wasn’t an issue at first, but within 10 days, two of Johnson’s players were enrolled at Godby, and one was playing in a game.
It led some to wonder, was it altruism or opportunism?
“We think the timing of a certain tweet on Sunday evening and the timing of some of the decisions that were made were suspicious,” Johnson told Yahoo’s Eric Adelson.
Parents of players who transferred have defended their decision about moving their children to Godby. And the Florida High School Athletic Association has gotten involved, but didn’t label it recruiting.
“It’s not recruiting because it doesn’t mention the football program or sports,” a spokesman said. “However, those tweets should come from the principal, not the coach.”
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
