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DeSoto football players receive online hate after handshake snub.
The DeSoto high school football team went viral for poor sportsmanship before a game vs. St. Thomas Aquinas. The Eagles would not shake hands with their opponent.
They received a swift dose of karma in the moments that followed, being blown out 38-14. Backlash for the antics has trickled into the following week.
Head coach Claude Mathis opened up on the criticism this week. He passed the blame solely onto his players, but he also blasted online attacks being thrown at his team.
DeSoto football refused handshakes.
Florida’s top high school football team, besides IMG Academy, throttling one of Texas’ top teams.
This was the start of it. pic.twitter.com/rORPhXULaJ
— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) August 30, 2026
The Eagles travelled 1,300 miles east to play in Florida against the No. 2 ranked team in the nation. They did not shake hands with St. Thomas Aquinas after the pregame coin flip.
That decision was made by players, according to Mathis. Consequences are being dealt with in-house.
Mathis said the players decided to skip the handshakes, without telling their coaches, and that he has apologized to St. Thomas Aquinas’ coach and athletic director and addressed the incident with his players behind closed doors.
-Dallas Morning News
Things went off the rails quickly after the snub. St. Thomas Aquinas went up 14-0 in the first quarter. It led 38-0 by halftime. The Raiders let off the gas after the break to cruise to victory.
DeSoto administration apologized after the fact. The school posted the following message on social media Monday.
DeSoto Football has addressed the incident that occurred at the St. Thomas Aquinas football game. We view this as an opportunity for our young men to learn and grow from their mistakes.
We would like to formally apologize to the St. Thomas Aquinas community, coaching staff, and…
— DeSoto Football (@FootballDesoto) August 31, 2026
DeSoto players have received hate.
In the days following the handshake snub, Mathis says that his captains have been the target of racial attacks.
“They were just trying to set a tone, that we’re here to play… They don’t deserve to be called racists. They don’t deserve to be called hoodlums and other racist comments.
“The real racism comes out when you look at the comments. These are kids. Not shaking hands is one thing, but for an adult to turn around and bash our kids, you’re as wrong as they are.”
-Claude Mathis
High school football fans have asked for punishment, some of which is extreme. DeSoto ISD Athletic Director Dr. M.T. Tyeskie confirmed that no coaches will be fired and no players will be kicked off the team.
It was a stupid mistake that will not happen again.
I normally wouldn’t respond to the propaganda about this incident that occurred this past contest but I feel I need to say something. Our captains made a poor decision by not shaking their opponents hand before the game. This is not our standard and it will be dealt with. I also… pic.twitter.com/6uuzzlaL1s
— Dr. M.T. Tyeskie (@MTTyeskie1) August 31, 2026
Mathis says that the teams did shake hands after the game. This is a non-issue. The Eagles received their medicine in the form of a blowout loss. Their head coach asks that the verbal attacks on his program stop.