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Desert Ridge QB Gunner Brewer was cut for calling an audible.
Twelve players from the Desert Ridge High School football program in Mesa, Arizona have been suspended for supporting their former quarterback. They walked out of a team meeting in protest of a coaching decision.
Gunner Brewer was recently cut by his head coach in the middle of the season. His mom says it was due to his calling an audible at the line of scrimmage.
Marie Brewer has since been vocal about the dismissal, blasting the staff for its quick trigger. She claims that her son has had no other disciplinary issues. He was not given the opportunity to explain himself. There was no progressive punishment. He was simply cut for his alleged insubordination.
Arizona high school football player cut for audible.
Desert Ridge High School is located in Mesa, about 30 miles outside of Phoenix. The football team competes at the 6A level in the East Valley Region of Arizona.
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A map showing Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona.
Success has been hard to come by of late for the Jaguars. They went 0-10 last year. They have not produced a winning season since 2019, having gone 16-42 across the last six campaigns.
This year, the program is 2-5. It picked up its second win two weeks ago against Cienega, 14-12. It was in this game that the drama unfolded.
During the contest, Brewer is believed to have called an audible instead of running the play that was given by coaches. His mom says it was something his previous offensive coordinator encouraged, though that play caller was fired in late September. I do not know the outcome of the play in question.
Regardless, head coach Miles Smith took it as a sign of disrespect.
“(Smith) said, ‘Hey, I felt like you disrespected me, and I can’t have that on my team. You’re off. Get your stuff and go,” Marie Brewer told the Arizona Republic.
The dismissal has had major repercussions. Without Brewer in the lineup last week, Desert Ridge fell 49-7 to Red Mountain. More uncertainty now surrounds the roster.
Desert Ridge players suspended for protest.
In a Monday meeting following the game, Smith asked players about allowing Brewer back on the team. A dozen or more raised their hands in support. The coaching staff refused to overturn its ruling. It then told players that opposed the decision that they could leave.
Many did. They are now suspended for the remainder of the year, according to the mother of offensive lineman Will Stark.
Miles Smith is the son of former NFL coach Lovie Smith. He is in his first year with the team, taking over the program in December of 2025. His dad was also brought on as part of a coaching tandem.
The duo was involved in a bizarre altercation with parents last week as a result of the chaos. Apparently, the suspended players showed up to the game to support their former teammates from afar. They offered to help boosters set up for the game until being barred by coaches.
According to local YouTuber Steven McCollum, several players showed up to a recent game to help boosters set up and show support for their former teammates.
However, the players allege they were forbidden from helping by the coaching staff. One parent then proceeded to take pictures of the inside of the locker room with equipment strewn across the floor.
This seemed to set Lovie Smith off.
Those players then sat in the stands to watch Desert Ridge get blown out. Five of the suspended players are seniors. This could effectively end their high school football careers. Underclassmen were told they could return in the winter to rejoin the team next season.
Parents continue to communicate with the school’s athletic director and principal. A push for reinstatement appears in the works. What it means for the future of quarterback Gunner Brewer is unclear. Who knew one changed play call could have this impact?