California Football Coach Put On Leave For Kicking Ball Into Player’s Groin (Video)

The head football coach at Royal High School in Simi Valley, Calif. is in hot water after his frustration got the best of him during practice Wednesday afternoon.

In a video (at bottom of story) obtained by High School On SI, coach Adam Brubaker is seen yelling at his own player before things take a bad turn. While Brubaker approaches the player, he kicks a football lying on the ground nearby into the midsection of the player, who drops to his knees in pain.

Brubaker confirmed the ball did hit the player in the groin area.

"I was frustrated and kicked the ball out of anger, but had no intention of hitting the kid. It happened to hit him in the nuts. I feel horrible. My anger got the best of me," Brubaker said.

COACH TAKES RESPONSIBILITY, EXPLAINS HIMSELF

Brubaker shared why he was so angry with the player.

"He's a great kid, but he's intense. We've had at least a dozen conversations about not taking kids to the ground during team drills," Brubaker explained. "It got to the point where I'd had enough."

In the video breakdown below, Brubaker explains he was angry toward his player for tackling and hurting one of the team's best players. This frustration is common among coaches at all levels due to fear of a star player getting hurt in practice and not being available for games. The ball carrier in the video gets tackled and immediately curls into pain on the field before hobbling away.

"I had a chance to delete the practice film and I didn't. I felt that tampering with the footage would be worse," Burbaker said. "I walked up to Julian after practice and apologized. I explained myself to him, and he accepted my apology."

Brubaker, 47, was put on leave immediately and will learn his ultimate fate Friday morning. Brubaker was preparing to embark on his second year at the helm after having a 3-7 campaign last season in his first year. The Highlanders will be led by an interim coach Friday night in their home opener against Monroe High.

STATEMENT FROM SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

The schools' principal Reina Zapata issued a statement to football families

Dear Royal Football Families,

I wanted to provide you with an update regarding an incident that took place during football practice last night. We are aware of an interaction between the head coach and a student-athlete and are taking the matter seriously. School and District administration are currently gathering information and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.

While that process takes place, we are putting an interim coaching plan in place to make sure practices and the football program continue with as little disruption as possible. We also met with our student-athletes today to talk with them directly, answer what questions we could, and make sure they know we are here to support them. We will work diligently to gather the information we need and address the situation appropriately.

Our priority is the safety and well-being of our student-athletes and maintaining a positive environment for the team. We also recognize that the team is preparing for a game this week. To the extent possible, we want to limit disruption for our students and allow them to focus on practice, their teammates, and getting ready to compete.

Because this involves an ongoing personnel matter, there will be limits to the information we are able to share while the review is taking place. We appreciate your understanding and ask that everyone allow the process to move forward without additional distractions for our students.

We will continue to support our student-athletes and coaching staff during this transition and will communicate additional information with families when appropriate.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support of Royal Football.

VIDEO BREAKDOWN

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