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A high school football program in the state of Maryland will be without its head coach for the remainder of the season. Dameon Powell has been removed from his role at Charles Herbert Flowers High.
A letter to parents hints at potential wrongdoing, which supposedly involved the use of an ineligible player. If true, it would be Powell’s second major offense.
Charles Herbert Flowers is currently 6-0 and rated as the 18th-best program in the state according to MaxPreps. The Jaguars are in first place in the region standings and poised for a playoff run.
State championship ambitions have now been placed on pause. The program will be forced to continue its season under new leadership.
Charles Herbert Flowers High School removed its football coach.
Parents and players were informed of the decision ahead of Game 7. An investigation is underway.
Parents learned in a letter from the principal of Flowers High that Powell had been removed. The letter says Powell is actively appealing that decision.
In the letter to parents, the principal reminded athletic staff of their responsibility to follow all the rules, including when it comes to whether or not a student is eligible to play.
Dameon Powell is believed to have used an “ineligible freshman player” during varsity games. He has appealed the suspension.
Unfortunately, the head coach has been involved in controversy in the past. He’s had multiple run-ins, including one directly related to player eligibility.
In 2019, The Washington Post and the Prince George’s Sentinel reported Powell was reportedly suspended for an entire year for holding a practice before the start of the season, something that isn’t allowed by the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association. In 2023, the Post reported the Jaguars’ season was cut short after having what was described as an ineligible player on the team.
Not only will the team be without its head coach, but its undefeated season is now gone. The PGCPS Office of Interscholastic Athletics requires the school to forfeit each game in which the player participated.
Scandals continue to emerge in the sport.
Many have ties to recruiting and player eligibility. Earlier this season, a California high school football program was popped for forging paperwork and providing impermissible benefits to incoming transfers.
That resulted in game forfeitures, coach firings, and player suspensions.
In Nebraska, teams have refused to play a local power often accused of stacking its roster through shady recruiting practices while, in Florida, a football coach was recently suspended for illegally contacting a player at another school in the middle of the season.
The pressure of success is real, even at the high school level. It’s led some to bend (or break) the rules. Charles Herbert Flowers in Maryland is the latest example.