'100% blindsided:' Ex-Parrish football coach Christopher Culton gives his side of the story
PARRISH − When Christopher Culton was let go as the Parrish Community football coach in December he was hurt. He was stunned. He did not know what to say.
When reached for comment immediately after the school brass made a decision to let him go, Culton clearly did not know what to say, and he did not want to make any rash comments.
This past season, Parrish Community won its first four games of the 2022 season before losing the final five. He thought he had the program going in the right direction.
The Bulls since hired Robert “Dylan” Clark, a former Alonso High head coach and Southeast High assistant, as their new football coach.
After deep consideration, Culton agreed to answer a few questions on the situation and his future.
Here is the Q&A with Culton:
Q: What were the options they gave you when you met?
A: I was told that I could resign or I would be fired.
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Q: What was your reaction to hearing the news they didn't want you to continue as coach?
A: 100% Blindsided. Hurt, feeling betrayed, and angry. When I took the Lakewood Ranch job it was explained to me that it was going to take more than one season to turn things around. The schedule was brutal and we didn’t have the athletes. The goal was to improve facilities, fix the schedule, get back kids that had transferred or stopped playing football. I had no plans of leaving and bought into the vision of the Athletics Director and Principal. When I was presented the chance to come to Parrish I spoke to coaches who had started programs from scratch and understood how tough it was going to play at least three seasons against varsity opponents without a senior class. I also went into this with the knowledge that things you do in year one with 39 players will change when you grow to 119 in Year 4. The bedrock principles of not cutting corners, telling the truth, saying please and thank you, and knowing that every day you started with a blank page was established Day 1. Players knew they didn’t get credit or penalized for what was done in the past or what they could do in the future; they were evaluated on what they did that day, and that never changed.
Q: What was the reason they gave you for your dismissal?
A: I wasn’t given one. I was told in the first 15 seconds of the meeting that they were going in a different direction. That statement left me speechless for at least half a minute. The first thing I said was “I feel like my soul has been crushed.” After 15 more seconds of silence I was told “it wasn’t anything major, or one thing, just a bunch of little things.” I was never told what those little things were. Boldness comes from a clean conscience. If their reasons were legitimate and would stand up to public scrutiny the appropriate courtesy would have been an explanation or a list of reasons. I’ve been with the AD (Shawn Trent) and Principal (Craig Little) for five years. I was on the original staff that opened the school and I thought at the very least we respected each other enough to maintain a level of professional respect.
Q: Are coaches losing their power since this seems to be happening more and more?
A: The way the system is set up high school coaches are stipend positions handled at the discretion of the principal. I was told an annual formal review of the season was done, but in five years I never had a postseason evaluation meeting with the AD or anyone in administration. Whatever differences we had or issues they had would have been talked out. There is no recourse or ability to arbitrate on your behalf if an issue arises with your coaching spot. I followed every single rule, told the truth, I treated players firm but fair, and held them accountable regardless of them being a starter, backup, or a coach’s son. I was never given an opportunity to explain or defend myself. I guarantee you if FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) was in place or they had to let the county AD or Superintendent (Cynthia Saunders) know in writing the reasons for a change I wouldn’t be answering these questions.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: This is not the end of my story. I have many chapters left. This will not be my last stop. I know how good Parrish has a chance to be. The district losses last year were fantastic program lessons. We embraced having a growth mindset as a program and any failure was identified as a player getting one step closer to maximizing their own individual proficiency as a player. We grew as coaches, players, and a program. Players weren’t judged by not coming down with a 50/50 ball, they were judged if they had the courage to go after it a second time. Everything in the beginning was aimed at the fifth year of the program. The momentum and energy we had going into this offseason was awesome. The last thing I left the team with was anything short of a district title the team would have underachieved in 2023. I already had the logo made.
Q: Do you want to remain in coaching in a certain capacity?
A: I am a coach. I am 45 years old and I am built for this. I am good at what I do and I know what has to be done in order to get there. I am not afraid of risks. I can handle the jeers and cheers. I believe that “no pressure … no diamond” and with that “pressure is a privilege.” I respect holding the title of “Coach” and the expectations that follow. It’s never been lost on me that I still remember my high school coaches and the impact they had on me. I recognize that I am in charge of a parents’ most prized possession and the influence that I hold. Before I took the Lakewood Ranch job I spoke to Coach (Dave) Marino (who recently retired as Palmetto High football coach) and asked if Lakewood Ranch could get back to what it was when he was there. He said, “Lakewood Ranch has potential …” and that was all I needed to hear. But, in less than a year, a lot of things changed and I had an opportunity at Parrish that doesn’t come around to many coaches. I am so proud of what has been done at Parrish and it’s an honor being tied to the first graduating class and first graduated seniors. I thought that we had state championship potential at Parrish. Unfortunately, now, that ring will come with another team.
Q: Or has this situation soured you on the idea?
A: I’m not soured by this ending. I’m not happy. I love Parrish. I love being in this community. It’s not going to change who I am. I am a positive guy and I got better as a teacher and coach every year. You can’t buy the experience and knowledge that I gained from this. What we did for four years was HARD. I never lost sight that this job would evolve slowly and then rapidly. It was always on the front of my mind that “wants” the first three years would be “needs” in Year 4. We started off with 500-plus students Year 1 to over 1,700 in Year 4. Logistics and finances are completely different each year and they won’t level out until the school reaches capacity. Year one we had 39 players and Year 4 we had over 100 and a full junior varsity and varsity team. I never had a problem talking about change and making it known certain things that weren’t problems in the beginning would be unavoidable in the future. I felt like I was always on the same page with administration until Friday, December 2nd at 2:46 pm.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ex-Parrish Community football coach Christopher Culton has a lot to say
