High school football coach suspends 30 players for game to send message to team
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Gilbert Perry, a high school team in Arizona, lost last week to Cesar Chavez 35-27. However, the Pumas were playing without a full squad.
Not even close to a full squad, in fact. Coach Preston Jones suspended 30 players for the game (including star quarterback Chubba Purdy, a Louisville commit) for violating team rules.
In a statement provided to AZCentral.com, Jones explained his decision.
“Good kids make mistakes, it is part of growing up,” Jones said in a email statement to The Republic. “The Team did a great job showing resiliency against a good Cesar Chavez football team. I’m very proud of how the entire TEAM and program responded to adversity last week. Looking forward to a distraction-free week.”
The Pumas fell to 3-2 with the loss, but the message Jones sent may last a lot longer than any win or loss.
Jones’ move could ultimate cost Gilbert Perry a shot at the first eight-team Open Division football playoffs this year, but the coach felt that he didn’t have any other choice. That takes a lot of guts, and even greater, it hopefully teaches his players a lesson that no one player — in this case 30 — is bigger than the team.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
