High School Football Coach’s Radical Punishment for Entire Team Gets Surprise Reaction from Parents

Photo Credit: KSL-TV

Photo Credit: KSL-TV

In these days of helicopter parenting — particularly moms and dads who view their athletic kids as superstars who can do no wrong — the jobs of non-parental authority figures are often considerably more difficult.

So when Matt Labrum, head football coach at Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah, suspended his entire team — all 80 of them — last week, can you guess what was coming next from parents of those suddenly former players?

If you figure Labrum got his head handed to him as he heard call after call for his immediate dismissal, you’d be incorrect.

Believe it or not, Labrum says he’s received no ill will from moms and dads for his radical disciplinary move — and that has everything to do with the off-field problems that fueled the total team suspension (e.g., bad attitudes toward teachers, skipping classes, failing grades, and a serious allegation of cyberbullying) and his desire to correct them.

So Labrum told the players to turn in their jerseys — if they wanted to wear them again, they’d each have to earn the right to do so by jumping through an arduous series of hoops, including extensive community service, according to Deseret News.

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