A high school football coach has been suspended after he allowed a homeless player to live with him.
According to 10 Tampa Bay News, Rahiem Rushing may have his eligibility revoked by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) after his defensive coordinator RJ Pollard took him into his home two years ago.
It wasn’t until this fall that a rival high school reported the situation to Citrus County Schools, putting the team’s wins, Rushing’s senior year and Pollard’s job in jeopardy.
Rushing, a student at Lecanto High School, experienced a stint of homelessness in 2023.
“It was bad. It was hard times,” Rushing told 10 Tampa Bay News in an exclusive interview. “Things just didn't go well with my family and my aunt, so I just really was on my own for a little while.”
Pollard heard about Rushing's situation from his own kids who were also students at Lecanto.
“I asked him if he had anywhere to go, and he kind of put his head down, and I knew right then that he was stuck,” Pollard said.
The move was intended to be temporary, but Rushing has remained with the Pollards for two years. However, two weeks ago, a rival athletic director made a call to Citrus County Schools, accusing Pollard of allowing multiple students to use his address to attend Lecanto High School, an allegation that has since been proven false.
The district told Lecanto to self-report the information to FHSAA, which suspended Pollard for giving impermissible benefits to a player, Rushing for his senior season and took away all of the team’s wins. Rushing had been zoned for Lecanto High School since middle school, Pollard said, and was a member of the football team well before moving in with his coach’s family.
“It was heartbreaking knowing that I couldn't finish my senior year out,” Rushing said. “Like, did they want me to just sleep in a car or just sleep outside or something?”
The school that reported the situation did so a day before they were to face Lecanto in football.
The FHSAA heard Rushing's case on Sunday and has since reinstated him.
“The FHSAA Board of Directors voted on Sunday to reinstate Raheim Rushing’s eligibility and to also remove Lecanto’s forfeited contests," the association said in a statement.
Pollard remains suspended.
“I think it's really unfair to punish me as a coach, but then turn around and punish me as a father,” he said. “I just want to sit at the 50-yard line. I like to watch them play, and that's all I want. So I'm hoping they'll allow me to do that.”
