A California High School football coach has resigned and his team has been put on probation after a fight erupted between his players and another team last week.
According to the local Bakersfield ABC affiliate, J.D. Thompson, head varsity football coach at Delano High School, stepped down following the fight that happened between players at last Friday's game against Mission Oak High.
Delano High school’s principal, Rene Ayon, said he reached out to the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section to work together on the situation. However, he also said that the CIF is placing the entire Delano football program on probation, including players and coaches.
The probation period will go into effect on August 13, 2020 and will last for the entire duration of the 2020 football season.
"We believe that the we took the appropriate action following the incident," Ayon told 23ABC. "Although it is disappointing that we will not be included in the CIF playoffs, we still support the CIF's decision."
Delano High School provided all video and evidence of the fight to police.
The Delano Police Department issued the following statement following the game:
"The Delano Police Department initiated a criminal investigation surrounding an altercation that occurred on Friday, November 1st, 2019, between student athletes from the Delano High School and Tulare’s Mission Oak High School varsity football teams.
This incident was captured by many different recording devices and from numerous angles, qualities, distances and resolutions. Video was obtained from various sources, including from both the Delano High School and Mission Oak High School football staff and coaches, social media, parents and spectators.
After reviewing the many videos and conducting numerous interviews, the Delano Police Department will be filing the case with the Kern County District Attorney’s Office for review and requesting formal charges on players from both teams.
We would like to thank the staff from both school districts for their cooperation in the handling of this sensitive matter."
“We do not condone or the incident that occurred on Friday,” Ayon said. “We are going to continue to work with our staff, coaches and student body to ensure this does not happen again."
