Russell County football coach refuses to lead Thursday’s game over COVID-19 policy
Russell County head football coach Mark Rose, a vocal opponent of high school football during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, will not coach tonight’s game against Sidney Lanier, the Ledger-Enquirer has learned.
Rose declined to comment but provided the full email transcript that he sent to Russell County Superintendent Brenda Coley and Russell County High School Principal Tonya Keene.
Keene and Coley did not respond to phone calls.
“With me being forced to be on the sideline as Head Coach, it would make a statement that I am condoning this reckless policy and I would feel responsible for any resulting illness,” Rose said in the email. “As such, I am asking that you either allow me to remain as Head Coach and continue to do all duties, except be on the sideline at the game, or that you allow me to step down as Head Coach, but remain as a coach on the team who does not attend the games.
“If you are not amenable to either of these requests, then it is with a heavy heart that I ask you to accept this letter as my full and complete resignation as Head Football Coach.”
Rose, who played football for Pat Dye at Auburn and has coached high school football for more than 20 years, was vocal in his disagreement with playing high school football during the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview with NPR, Rose called it “child exploitation.”
“Protecting all players means protecting them and their families from the devastation this virus can have on their health and the health of their loved ones who they rely on,” Rose said in the email. “Unless and until testing for all players can occur, I cannot stand idly by and participate in the unsafe choices being made. In other words, I cannot support the position that playing football in a pandemic is more important than people. It is my firm conviction that taking the field as Head Football Coach serves to disregard the dangerous decision to play football without testing and acquiesce to the very real and present danger facing the young players who trust us to protect them.”
Rose told NPR that an asymptomatic outbreak within the Warriors locker room landed a 33-year-old assistant coach in ICU for nearly two weeks. One player’s mother was also infected.
The Warriors’ first game, against Smiths Station, was canceled and deemed a forfeit loss after the Russell County School District postponed fall sports until early September. Their game against Park Crossing was canceled after a Russell County player tested positive for COVID-19.
The Warriors’ game against Valley was also canceled, and Eufaula has moved its senior night to Sept. 25, despite Russell County serving as its final home game.
Rose told NPR that he cannot protect his players because of a lack of COVID-19 testing.
There is not a policy in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s COVID-19 protocols for testing football players.
“I have been performing my duties as the Head Coach in every aspect of working with my players, and I will continue to support my players and do my best to keep them safe,” Rose said in the email. “I know that it is your position that I must be on the sideline and coach the upcoming game. However, I know that I could not live with myself if one of the players was exposed to Coronavirus during the games by the opposing players and took it home to their family members and made them seriously ill.”
Read the full email below, provided to the Ledger-Enquirer by Rose:
Dear Dr. Coley
After many prayers and much deliberation, I am writing to respectfully inform you that I will not be taking the field this evening with my players. I have never, in my 30-year career as a football coach, refused to take the field. But, tonight, I have no choice. It is my responsibility as a coach to protect my players and all players in the state. Protecting all players means protecting them and their families from the devastation this virus can have on their health and the health of their loved ones who they rely on. Unless and until testing for all players can occur, I cannot stand idly by and participate in the unsafe choices being made. In other words, I cannot support the position that playing football in a pandemic is more important than people. It is my firm conviction that taking the field as Head Football Coach serves to disregard the dangerous decision to play football without testing and acquiesce to the very real and present danger facing the young players who trust us to protect them. Colleges and professional teams have implemented testing protocols to protect their players and to save lives. You are well aware of my position that the AHSAA should have implemented procedures requiring testing of players. By leading the football players and staff onto the field knowing that neither team has been tested, I would be forced to condone a policy that I have repeatedly opposed. As I have informed you, this is not about me, but it is about my concern for the family members, friends, communities and the players in the state of Alabama. I choose to protect these players, even if it means losing my job as Head Football coach and losing my financial livelihood. The possibility that I could protect even one player or his family is worth the cost.
I have been performing my duties as the Head Coach in every aspect of working with my players, and I will continue to support my players and do my best to keep them safe. I know that it is your position that I must be on the sideline and coach the upcoming game. However, I know that I could not live with myself if one of the players was exposed to Coronavirus during the games by the opposing players and took it home to their family members and made them seriously ill. With me being forced to be on the sideline as Head Coach, it would make a statement that I am condoning this reckless policy and I would feel responsible for any resulting illness. As such, I am asking that you either allow me to remain as Head Coach and continue to do all duties, except be on the sideline at the game, or that you allow me to step down as Head Coach, but remain as a coach on the team who does not attend the games. If you are not amenable to either of these requests, then it is with a heavy heart that I ask you to accept this letter as my full and complete resignation as Head Football Coach. As I have said many times, this position of requesting that all players in the state be tested prior to games is not about my safety, but it is about the safety of all football players in Alabama and their families. Since individuals can have this virus and have no symptoms, the Boards of Education for all football players in the state need to take every precaution necessary, which includes testing players, to help prevent the spread of this virus.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter. I look forward to continuing to work for the betterment of our students as the Athletic Director and teacher, and in another capacity as coach.
Coach Mark Rose
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 7:12 PM.
