Produced this piece from start to finish, including shooting, writing, and editing.
DURAND, Mich. (WJRT) – Outcry in Durand, after a head football coach was fired for allegedly letting a player play through a concussion.
Parents packed a special meeting of the Board of Education Tuesday, arguing the investigation conducted by the district does not paint the full picture of events.
At the meeting, the district presented the findings of their investigation in a 16-page report. It alleges Coach John Webb created a “toxic culture” inside the football program and did not properly respond to safety concerns in their final game of the season on October 25.
The play in question came late in the second quarter against the Bath Fighting Bees. In a video presented by the board, you can see a defensive back hit hard on a blindside block.
Later he is stumbling and holding his head when another player tells him to get off the field. Just a few plays later, the Defensive Back was sent back into the game.
According to the report, that’s where Webb failed to follow MHSAA Concussion Guidelines. In it, they write “There appears to be a toxic culture in the varsity football program in which the Varsity Head Coach does not place the student athletes’ health and safety as a priority.”
The issue is, the Defensive Back’s parents allege he did not have a concussion.
“We were told that we needed to take him to the doctor to be examined, which we did on 11/6. The doctor confirmed my suspicions that he was great, and was able to return to sports,” said Josh Chapman at Tuesday’s meeting.
The Chapman’s did not ask for Webb to be investigated. The formal complaint was filed by a parent of another player on the team.
ABC12 spoke on the phone with Webb, but he declined a formal interview. He maintained Tuesday night that he was acting with all of the information available during the game.
“We did everything in our power to ensure that nobody would ever play with a head injury. The video that you have seen up here is not the video we had on the sideline,” he said.
In an interview with investigators, Webb said that he did not see the hit, and was told by the player that he had the wind knocked out of him. He referred the player to get checked out by the athletic trainer.
Only after the player was checked out and told Webb that he was good to go, was he allowed back into the game.
“The officials spoke to me about the play. That it was not helmet to helmet. It was shoulder to shoulder. They were very clear,” he said.
The athletic trainer said he was not informed of a potential head injury, but checked the player over twice during the game. He said the player could answer questions and explain his orientation.
Still, the player did not return to play in the second half due to another injury.
“I would never and did never knowingly ever play a kid with a concussion,” Webb said.
The report alleges this is not the first time something similar had happened.
Investigators spoke with 11 of the 25 players on the team. In the report obtained by ABC12, one player said he was called a “sissy” after he complained his head was “ringing” after a hit.
Another said he “feels like they push too hard and when someone is injured and don’t let them heal.”
Still, several players described the team as a “good climate” and said Webb would not intentionally play them injured.
“If the coaching staff thinks someone is really injured they are good about it but if it is a rolled ankle or something they say to go back in,” one player told investigators.
During the meeting, Webb said he wished that they had spoken to the entire team.
“All of the players’ voices need to be heard. They deserve to be heard. Not 11 kids hand-selected by certain individuals,” he said.
Webb is not the only one to call into question the legitimacy of the complaint.
In the report, Athletic Director Bryan Carpenter said the complaint was “filed by parents who like to complain and attack the coaches.” He said the spouse of the parent that filed the complaint had previously tried to get the Varsity Basketball Coach fired.
The investigation was conducted by Middle School Principal, Becky Shankster, as Webb is directly related to the Athletic Director and the High School Principal.
Webb is asking for a new investigation to be conducted and to be reinstated as head football coach. The school board is set to meet again on December 2.
Webb has maintained a 23-15 record since taking over the program in 2021. In his second year, he lead the team to a conference championship, going undefeated in the regular season before losing in the District Semifinal.
Last season, the team had a 5-4 record, and finished 4th in the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference.