Creatine Supplement Conflict Results in New Football Coaching Staff

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OLIVIA CHEUNG
Editor in Chief

“[W]e need to hold [our coaches] accountable.”
-Principal Duane Russell

With less than seven weeks before their first game of the season, AHS’ football team lost its entire coaching staff on July 9.

According to Principal Duane Russell, the staff was dismissed for providing seven players with creatine, an over-the-counter supplement that is used to help build muscle mass. Under CIF State rule 22B12, it is a violation of the coaches code of ethics to provide anything other than “non-muscle building nutritional supplements.”

“Although I can’t make definite promises, […] I can promise a safe learning environment for [AHS] students,” Russell said. “What our coaches did was unacceptable and we need to hold them accountable.”

The issue arose when it was discovered that one of the players did not receive parental consent. Upon discovery, the parents confronted school officials for action. According to the Pasadena Star News, Head Coach Chuck Leonardis, Athletic Department Chair Jerry DeSantis and Russell met after practice on July 9; later that day, the entire staff was fired.

“This is our best coaching staff [that] I’ve had in the past three years playing at Alhambra,” said senior outside linebacker Chris Salazar. “These are not only our coaches, but they are family.”

A meeting was held later that same day, during which school officials addressed parental concerns. Many parents and players criticized the unfairness of valuing one family’s opinion more than all of the other involved families.

“It’s unfair [that] we put the time and effort into waking up every morning at 5 a.m., working out […]; now it feels like the only people who were doing that with us [are] gone just like that,” said senior running back Jimmy Calderon.

Despite the incident, the team met its new coaching staff on July 15 and has been working hard since.

“At the end of the day the situation is out of our hands and the only thing we can do now is […]go show what a Moor stands for and bring a championship back to Alhambra,” Calderon said.