🚨 WHO PROTECTS THE COACH? We waited a week before speaking publicly because we wanted to see how this situation would play out. We also reached out directly to the coach involved. He thanked us for reaching out and informed us that he would be handling the situation himself. We respect that decision and will respect his space. But respecting his decision does not mean the Florida Coaches Coalition is going to stay quiet about the ramifications of what happened. A coach was attacked in his own locker room by an angry parent following a game. A member of his coaching staff stepped in to defend him. Days later, both coaches resigned in the middle of the season. And after all of that, blame is being directed toward the coaches? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Let's stop dancing around the bigger issue. HOW DID AN ANGRY PARENT GET ACCESS TO A COACH IN HIS LOCKER ROOM IN THE FIRST PLACE? Where was the security? Where were the safeguards? Who was responsible for making sure coaches could safely leave the field and enter their own locker room? Because apparently, after asking coaches to work countless hours for pennies, teach, mentor, supervise, fundraise, manage programs, communicate with parents, handle equipment, travel, develop young people and carry the expectations of entire communities, we're now supposed to add PERSONAL SECURITY to their job descriptions. At what point do we finally say enough? A coach should not have to defend himself from a parent at work. Another coach should not have to decide whether to stand by and watch his colleague be attacked or physically intervene because adequate protection wasn't there. And neither should have to walk away from their program days later while questions are being raised about their actions. If your first response after a coach is attacked at work is to figure out how the coach is somehow responsible, you are part of the problem. This is exactly how we lose good coaches. We tell them to sacrifice more. Give more. Work longer. Take less. Deal with increasingly hostile behavior from adults. And apparently, when things cross the line from verbal abuse to physical violence, they're supposed to deal with that too. NO. This is bigger than one coach. This is bigger than one school. And this is bigger than one district. Every coach in Florida should be paying attention. Coaches have a right to go to work, coach their student-athletes and return home to their families without wondering whether an angry adult will be waiting for them outside a locker room. And if the systems currently in place are not enough to provide reasonable protections for coaches, then those systems need to change. So we're going to do something about it. Coaches in Florida deserve protection. During this upcoming legislative session, the Florida Coaches Coalition will work with lawmakers to pursue stronger protections for coaches and address what happens when their safety is threatened while performing their jobs. Because protecting coaches cannot simply be a talking point after something terrible happens. It needs to be an expectation. To every coach in Florida: We see you. We hear you. And we will fight for you. COACHES DESERVE PROTECTION. NOT BLAME. #FloridaCoaches