Pahokee coach Emmanuel Hendrix suspended for 6 weeks of spring football
PAHOKEE — The Muck seems set for spring football turmoil as Pahokee head coach Emmanuel Hendrix has been handed a suspension from the Florida High School Athletic Association.
Hendrix, coming up on his third season, will be suspended for six weeks from the beginning of the 2023 spring football season and forfeit $5,000 of his salary as sanctions for alleged improper contact.
Pahokee High School administration self-reported the allegation to the FHSAA shortly after Hendrix led the 1R program to a second straight region final appearance in 2022.
In a Feb. 22 letter, the FHSAA informed principal Dwayne Dennard that Pahokee High had been fined $2,500 and would be placed on administrative probation until December 15, 2024.
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When reached by The Palm Beach Post, Hendrix denied the allegations in the report.
"Yes, I am scheduled to be suspended for spring football. However, I did not have improper contact with the student athlete named in the report," Hendrix said.
Of the suspension, Hendrix said his "social media activity may have left things up for interpretation."
The Post reached out to Dennard and administrators at Pahokee High for comment. The principal informed Hendrix the school "will put out a statement later."
According to FHSAA Policy 36.2.2 Improper Contact: " 'Improper contact' is contact, either directly or indirectly, whether in person or through written or electronic communication, by a school employee, athletic department staff member, representative of the school's athletic interests or third parties, such as an independent person, business or organization, with a student or any member of the student's family, in an effort to pressure, urge or entice the student to attend a different school for the purpose of participating in interscholastic athletics."
Hendrix was also allegedly found to be in violation of Policy 37, which states that "making a presentation or distributing any form of advertisement, commercial or material that promotes primarily or exclusively a school's athletic program" or promotes that said program is "better than the athletic program of any other school or suggests the student's athletic career would be better served."
Should Pahokee High not move forward to appeal the findings of FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon − which has to happen by Wednesday − the suspension will be finalized, marking Hendrix's second spring away from the sidelines after missing the 2022 jamboree as well.
Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FHSAA suspends Pahokee football head coach ahead of spring football
