High School Football Coach Suspended for What?

A high school football coach in Weston, Fla., has been suspended for slapping his quarterback's helmet in an attempt to "get him to compete" after a disappointing play. The interaction was caught on camera during the nationally televised ESPN High School Football Kickoff over the weekend.

In the video below, Weston (Fla.) Cypress Bay High head coach Mark Guandolo can be seen giving quarterback Lucas Tellefsen a stern talking to after he overthrew a pass on the previous play -- and then the coach follows up with a firm slap to the player's helmet.

Guandolo told the Miami Herald he "should've done it in a different way," adding that he "hugged him after and just tried to find ways to get him to compete and he did."

"He really finished strong and I was proud of him," he added.

Local media outlets reportedly hyped the story and hounded Broward County School officials for comment. School officials responded Monday by suspending Guandolo for two weeks from all athletic activities and three days from entering school property.

(ESPN)

However, not even Tellefsen, the player whose helmet was slapped, or his parents were concerned about the incident.

"We love Coach G. He's coached two of my older sons that are in college on football scholarships," Eric Tellefsen, the student's father, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "There'd be a line wrapped around the corner if you called his players and wanted to know what he’s done for them."

The father said his family is behind the coach completely.

"This is my life… I put 30 years of everything I have into kids today and trying to help them be better people and you hate for something like this to put a damper on all that. I’m sick about it," Guandolo added.

Did the coach cross the line or is this a case of major overreaction?

(H/T: Yahoo! Sports)

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