Land O’ Lakes High football program reinstated after suspension stemming from locker room fight
LAND O' LAKES, Fla. - The Land O' Lakes High School football program was reinstated Wednesday after a temporary suspension. Pasco County school officials said the suspension came after a fight in the locker room between two players.
Administrators with the school district said the varsity football game scheduled for this week will go on as planned, but the junior varsity game is still canceled.
Pasco County Schools said in a statement Wednesday that initial statements about the incident suggested that it may have been a hazing incident, which prompted them to suspend the program. However after an initial investigation, administrators said this does not appear to be a hazing incident and was a fight between two students.
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School officials said the investigation is ongoing, and they are working toward a resolution involving discipline surrounding student code of conduct violations.
The Land O' Lakes football team has been suspended indefinitely after an alleged fight in the locker room.
Several parents told FOX 13 that this fight happened in the locker room Monday after practice between the two JV players. According to what the players told them, two freshmen on the junior varsity team started arguing about something before things got physical.
They said it was broken up, and one of the boys involved went to administrators about it. A Pasco County schools spokesperson said some even whipped out their phones and recorded the fight.
One mother, Ruth Moses, whose son is a senior on the varsity team, said he and his teammates were devastated when their team was impacted by the suspension and worried it would jeopardize their futures on the field.
The Land O' Lakes High School football team has been suspended indefinitely following allegations of a locker room fight.
"These kids have been working non-stop," Moses said. "They work through the summer, go to the gym, this isn't a game for some of them, they're trying to play in college, they have recruiters looking at them now. It's not something you can say 'let's just shut it off'...I don't think that's okay."
A number of parents also mentioned very little communication by the school, saying that many found out about the program's suspension from a newspaper article that was released yesterday.
A district public information officer said they recently got a new communication system and there may have been some bugs. He sent the following statement that was in the email to families prior to the varsity team's reinstatement:
"The Pasco County School District has temporarily suspended the football coaching staff of Land O’ Lakes High School from their duties effective immediately, due to allegations of a fight that occurred in the team locker room post-practice. Additionally, all Land O Lakes High School football operations have been put on hold pending a thorough investigation. This includes all practices, on-campus conditioning, and games until further notice.
We are deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of our students and take these allegations seriously. We assure parents, students, and the community that we are taking the necessary steps to address the situation.
Further information will be provided as the investigation progresses."