Steve Powers was formally relieved of his duties with the youth football team in Southlake, Texas. His ouster at Dragon Youth Football stems from his wife’s ties to a disturbing legal matter in New York City.
She was arrested on and pleaded not guilty to charges of “sex trafficking” and the “transportation of women for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts.”
This disturbing scandal has (in)direct ties to one of the most dominant high school football programs in the United States. The Dragon Youth Football program begins to develop athletes for the next level.
Dragon Youth Football is a powerhouse program in Southlake, Texas.
Carroll Senior High School, better known as Southlake Carroll, is a consistent winner. The Dragons have not lost more than two games since 2015. They have not finished with less than 10 wins since 2008. Current head coach Riley Dodge boasts an all-time record of 107-10 over the last eight years.
Southlake Carroll, which uses facilities that are better than most small colleges, claims five state championships this millennium. It finished as the runner-up in 2020 and 2024. Quinn Ewers is perhaps the most notable alumnus of the last decade. Other legends include Greg McElroy, Chase Daniel, Evan Brown and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
You get the idea. The Dragons are consistent winners. They don’t rebuild, they reload!
Dragon Youth Football is a big part of Southlake Carroll’s success. The flag program covers Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade. The tackle program covers the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades. It feeds directly into Carroll Middle School, which typically fields an A and a B team for the 7th and 8th grades.
Carroll Middle School feeds directly into Carroll Senior High School. The same athletes from Dragon Youth Football end up playing for the Dragons in high school.
Steve Powers was let go as a coach.
Dragon Youth Football president Andrew Greever recently announced that coach Steve Powers would be relieved of his duties. Amy Smith of WatchKeep was the first to report that the decision is effective immediately. The 40-something-year-old previously oversaw two grade levels within the program. Not anymore!
Greever said that Powers was dismissed after feedback from parents. Their concerns led to a more thorough review, which ultimately led to the separation.
“After conducting an additional review, we have determined that the individual will no longer serve as a coach within Dragon Youth Football. Please note that this decision has been made before any team activities or practices. The safety, well-being, and trust of our players and families remain our highest priorities.”
He did not admonish the hiring process. All of the concerns surrounding Powers’ ties to the youth football program came to exist after he was cleared by the organization in the first place.
“The individual successfully completed the organization’s required volunteer screening process and met the eligibility standards in place at the time of approval. However, we recognize that successfully meeting those requirements does not remove our responsibility to consider broader community concerns and the level of confidence families place in our organization. After listening to feedback from parents and reviewing the situation more thoroughly, leadership concluded that removing the individual from the program was the appropriate decision.”
Dragon Youth Football will play its first flag and tackle games on Aug 29. Powers will not be there. His ouster stems from an ongoing FBI investigation. Rather, his wife’s ties to the federal investigation.
The FBI charged his wife with sex trafficking.
Steve Powers is married to Jennifer Powers. Jennifer Powers served as the personal assistant to New York-based financier Howard Rubin. They were both arrested on charges of sex trafficking and the transportation of women for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts in Sept. 2025.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the defendants “allegedly arranged for women to travel to a sex ‘dungeon’ in a New York City penthouse, where he exceeded the scope of their consent by violently abusing them.” Rubin was also charged with bank fraud.
As reported by Eddie Maisonet, Rubin and Jennifer allegedly spent $1 million+ to finance the commercial sexual torture of multiple women through a national trafficking network. They allegedly ensnared the victims, abused them and silenced them with threats of legal action.
Special agent in charge Harry Chavis Jr. stated on the record that Steve Powers’ wife and Rubin worked together.
“This was not a one-man show. While Rubin dehumanized these women with abhorrent sexual acts, Powers is alleged to have run the day-to-day operations of the enterprise and got paid generously for her efforts. IRS-CI and FBI partnered to see fit that all the facts are detailed in this case and ensure that this pair realizes the full consequences of their ghastly behaviors.”
The indictment says that Rubin spent ~$8 million to support nearly every aspect of his personal assistant’s life from 2018 to 2023. That includes her apartment in Manhattan, her children’s tuition to private school, credit card bills and legal fees. That also includes Powers’ million-dollar home in Southlake, Texas. The property is registered under her husband’s company.
Jennifer Powers was released on an $850,000 bond after pleading not guilty last September. She was relieved of her duties as a substitute teacher with the Carroll Independent School District. Now, 11 months later, Steve Powers is out at Dragon Youth Football.