A Florida preparatory school football coach suspended himself after he was slammed for verbally attacking a football player on his team.
Derek Jenks, 45, is stepping away as the head coach after a video circulated on social media of him cursing aggressively at one of his players.
Jenks was recorded getting in the player’s face and repeatedly yelling at him to “do something.”
Jenks, the head coach and founder of Southwest Florida Preparatory and Technical Institute in Naples, Florida, made a post on Facebook saying he was suspending himself.
“I’m going to do what I can to seek mentorship [for] myself to be able to become a better coach [and] mentor to my players and so that I can make sure this never happens again,” he said.
The player, Alvin Day, whom he verbally assaulted, sat next to him when he made the video.
“I’m glad he’s holding himself to the same standard that he held us to,” Day said. “I’m hoping we can move forward.”
It’s unclear what the self-suspension means in terms of drawing pay or taking a leave of absence, USA TODAY reported.
