Wow, that's harsh

in wisconsin you get caught violating out of season rules it is automatic termination of the coach. no probation, no suspension. you are done and good luck getting a job for a while.

Yeah I am with you here, what would they have had to do to get a ban like that. I understand rules are rules, but it must have been something pretty major.

The article said the video was from inside the field house, so I don't know how much "practice" was going on. If they got hammered for doing football-specific agility drills or something of that nature, then not only is the penalty too harsh, but the coaches and ADs in Virginia need to look into getting the rules changed.

In response to airman... In Wisconsin that is not necessarily true. I remember a few instances where school districts have been penalized and the coach not terminated. It may be in a particular school's contract, but I do not believe it is mandated throughout the state.

Amazing to read a story like that the day after we had our first summer workout with the team. In helmets and shoulder pads, our state just ok'ed shoulder pads for workouts we have been able to wear helmets in the summer for a number of years and no rules about contact with the players in the offseason.

I agree that this was a harsh punishment, but if you've got set rules, you need to follow them.

The problem I have seen is football programs basically forcing their kids to specialize if they want ti play. I have seen programs that try and run their spring ball after school, during track practices and then wonder why the community gets pissed off. They don't work with other schedules for their weight training either; they have summer conditioning times that take occur during baseball practice. And, again, it turns into a p-ssing match.

I have also been on the flip side of it; basketball coaches that only run their fall open gyms after school and try and force the kids to pick between football and basketball.

Here in MT, everything is pretty open; some teams don't have a football specific football period, but they have the option of setting it up. For what ever reason, they can't manage to get the administration or the PE department on board, even when it's an easy sell. We can do ALOT in the summer, as soon as the school year is over. During the school year, throwing sessions are totally kosher, anytime, you just can't throw pads on.

Now, this is the way I think that every state needs to be with football; you can run an athletic period, you can run stuff in the school year, as long as there are no pads on. And, when the school year is over, you can throw the pads on. The teams that can get the kids to buy into it without screwing around with other sports will be successful, as long as they don't over do it. The coaches that don't work with other coaches and sports will pay for it; people are going to be angry and the kids don't want to have to pick between football and the other sports.

Just have to pay attention to the 'voluntary workouts'; can't force the kids to come, but you don't have to play them either.

^{I have also been on the flip side of it; basketball coaches that only run their fall open gyms after school and try and force the kids to pick between football and basketball.}

Our basketball coach does this, year round. If kids don't play summer "CLUB" ball on his team, then he'll cut them during the season. It's illegal here for coaches to do this but they do it anyway. It pi$$es me off but the AD won't do anything about it since they are buddies.
We tell our Football players that we expect them to play 2 or 3 sports, all of the other programs in the school are on board with this except the basketball team.
IMO specialization is another word for selfish coaches who don't care about their kids.
We have about 7 kids on the basketball team who, if they came out for football and track, would boost the talent WAY up. There are two kids on the BB team that potentially could be DI defensive backs but as 5'10 basketball players, they won't sniff a college offer other than from a mediocre JUCO nearby. They have a couple of 6'5 kids that are good athletes but only average about 6ppg in Basketball which isn't going to take them anywhere. They'd make good WR's or High Jumpers but won't come out because they fear being cut from basketball. It's a bunch of BS.

This seems to point more towards the fact that the workout was not a general fitness workout for all students...which I believe is the underlying principle of the violation correct?

Do you know anything about the layout of the building? Is it possible to have an actual skell or team session?

Exactly, if the state rules stipulate that the workouts need to consistent of specific conditioning, not football related activities, then that's what you need to follow. If you've gotten nailed for it before, then you'd better learn from it and not do it again.

There is a program in our conference that has broken the one simple rule several times; NO PADS UNTIL AFTER SCHOOL ENDS. Their HC's job is on the line because of it.

You can't blame anyone but yourself for putting your head on the chopping block and being surprised when someone take it off.

Soccer's a spring sport here so there isn't much conflict between the two sports.