Dothan High School Coach Suspended One Week After Slamming Assistant During Game

A video surfaced showing an Dothan high school football coach Jed Kennedy slamming a volunteer assistant to the ground at the Opelika vs. Dothan game on Friday night. After an investigation, Kennedy has been suspended for one week without pay.

The administration made it clear that the relationship between the assistant coach and Kennedy made the decision to only suspend him one week much easier.

During a press conference on Monday, Dothan City Schools Superintendent Dennis Coe said expectations are in place going forward on how Kennedy should act.

"Moving forward, I have given specific expectations in regards to how I expect him to represent our school, our football program and community in behavior and actions. After addressing the team today and meeting with Coach Kennedy, it's in best interest to have Coach Kennedy to remain in this position as head football coach with expectations being met."

Coach Was Flagged For Sideline Interference

The video that was posted on social media Saturday morning shows the coach slamming an assistant coach to the ground. The video shows a referee running down the Dothan sideline and throwing a flag for sideline interference. Kennedy was running behind the ref and is seen slamming an assistant to the ground.

Watch: Dothan City Schools Hold Press Conference With Coach Jed Kennedy

Athletic Director Jessica Noble confirmed the incident between Kennedy and volunteer assistant Early Walker.

"Coach Kennedy apologized one-on-one to Early Friday night and also apologized to him in front of his staff and team. Coach Kennedy and Early are on good terms, as well as Early's family. Both parties want to move forward as soon as possible.

Noble went on to praise Kennedy for his interactions with the community, students and faculty at Dothan High.

"Coach Kennedy made a mistake and is very remorseful tis incident took place. Effective immediately, coach Kennedy will be suspended from all duties for one weekAll other disciplinary actions that are included in this incident will remain a personnel matter.

"Although this unfortunate incident took place, our trust in Coach Kennedy as the leader of our football program and as a leader of our student athletes has not wavered," Noble added.

Following the comments from the administration, Coach Kennedy took the podium.

"On Friday night, I made a mistake I will never forget, a huge mistake and there's no excuse for it. I have apologized to those involved and taken measures for it to not happen again."

Kennedy finished his comments by saying he has apologized to all parties and will work to become a better football coach and person moving forward.

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Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football “Credit Card Scandal” along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.