Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney
Hoover head coach Drew Gilmer speaks to players, parents and members of the community after being named the new head football coach for the Bucs at Hoover High School on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
The family of a Hoover High School football player is calling for the Hoover school board to fire the new head football coach at the school after a video went viral showing a coach appear to pull a player’s head to his groin and thrust his hips toward the player’s face during a practice drill Friday.
State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, an attorney representing the family, on Wednesday said the actions of the coach, whom she identified as head coach Drew Gilmer, were “perverted, abusive, extreme, outrageous and beyond all possible bounds of human decency from someone who is deemed or defined as an educator in a public school system in the state of Alabama.”
Givan said “Coach Gilmer committed acts that justify termination and being enjoined from ever coaching on any level going forth.”
The football player, who turned 17 Wednesday, was subjected to extreme humiliation and emotional distress as a result of the actions of a “full-grown man entrusted with the safety and well-being of students,” Givan said.
The family and their attorneys will pursue every legal avenue they can against Gilmer and possibly the Hoover Board of Education, Givan said. Additionally, the family filed a report against the coach with the Hoover Police Department, and police detectives are investigating the incident, said Reginald McDaniel, another attorney representing the family of the Hoover player.
Efforts to reach Gilmer for comment were unsuccessful.
Hoover High Principal Jennifer Hogan on Wednesday morning said she was in the middle of investigating the matter and that assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Chip English is serving as interim head coach right now.
Hoover school officials on Tuesday announced that Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms were placed on administrative leave while school officials conduct “a thorough and impartial review of recent developments.”
Hoover schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox issued a statement that “the safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities. We are taking this matter seriously and working diligently to resolve it promptly and fairly.”
The reason for the administrative leave was not disclosed, but a team practice video that shows the incident in question went viral nationally and was picked up by outlets such as ESPN, CNN, MSNBC and the Associated Press, Givan said.
A second video that also went viral shows a coach charging across the field during a practice drill, grabbing a player's facemask and ripping the helmet off the player as the player falls to the ground.
McDaniel said the family of that player has contacted he and Givan as well and they planned to meet with that family Wednesday.
Givan said this is not a question as to whether Gilmer is a good football coach on the field of play. “It has everything to do with what was depicted on the video.”
Some people in the Hoover community, including other Hoover football players, have rallied to show support for Gilmer, saying he’s just a tough, old-school football coach and that this kind of activity happens all the time.
McDaniel said anyone who calls this common is “trying to cover for a football coach who committed an atrocious act against a minor. There’s nothing normal or common about a coach thrusting his lower private parts to a kid’s face.
“We know football’s a tough sport. All sports are tough. Tough coaches get in players’ faces. They grab ’em by the shoulder pads. They push ’em around,” McDaniel said. “This goes way beyond those kinds of actions, and it’s shocking that many of the public are looking at this with a blind eye.”
Givan said if this was an ordinary occurrence, it would not have been picked up by ESPN, CNN, MSNBC and the Associated Press.
“In an instance where a coach takes a player’s head — a child — grabs it and puts it to his private area, something’s wrong with that,” she said.
Givan said this student has attended Hoover schools all of his life and now his “heart has been ripped out by students who have teased him.”
McDaniel said the player is an outstanding young man who knows what he wants in life but his state of mind right now is not well. “He’s probably going to need counseling.”
McDaniel said questions need to be answered about whether the Hoover school system did its due diligence in hiring Gilmer.“To be tough as a coach is one thing, but to take it to this level of outrageousness, indecency and insensitivity is something that Hoover should not tolerate,” he said. “This coach does not belong on the field coaching. I don’t care how good his record is, how many championships he’s won.”
Gilmer was hired to be Hoover's new football coach in January, following a highly successful tenure at Clay-Chalkville. Helms was hired to be the team's defensive coordinator, following Gilmer from Clay.
Gilmer compiled a record of 81-12 in seven seasons at Clay-Chalkville. The Cougars posted double-digit wins in six of those years, including the 2023 season, in which they went 14-0 in a campaign that included wins over 7A power Thompson and defending state champ Saraland in the 6A championship game.
The Hoover football team’s first game is scheduled for Aug. 24 against Western High School in Davie, Florida. Hoover school officials have given no timeline for how long this investigation is expected to take.
However, the school system did release this statement on Wednesday: "Coach English brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the team, and we are confident in his ability to lead the Bucs as they prepare for the upcoming season. Practice sessions will continue as scheduled, ensuring the team remains focused and ready for their first game. Our players and coaches appreciate your support during this football season."
Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:17 p.m. with the statement from Hoover City Schools about English getting the team ready for the upcoming season.
