WESTON, Fla. – Cypress Bay head football coach Mark Guandolo has been suspended for two weeks following an incident which saw him hitting one of his players on national television.
In a time out during Cypress Bay's game vs. American Heritage on Sunday, ESPN cameras caught Guandolo punching the head of quarterback Lucas Tellefsen with the heel of the palm of his hand.
Guandolo has been suspended from his position as a physical education teacher for three days and two weeks from all school athletic activities.
"I expect every staff member to adhere to the highest professional standards in every aspect of their interactions with our students," wrote Broward Schools Superintendent Robert W. Runcie in a statement on Monday.
Most spectators at the game were oblivious to what happened, but were stunned when Local 10 showed them the video that had gone viral.
HS Poll
One student said, "That was just wrong in my opinion."
When asked if it bothered her, student Alice Shatt said "Yeah. I mean, they treat animals like that. They don't treat football players like that. I mean, that's their coach. You don't want to get hit by your coach."
This video raises the question: Is this fair discipline for a bad play, or did the coach go too far?
"That's a football play, you know. He could've slapped him across the helmet for a good play. We would have never known," said football fan Tavares McBurrows.
"Unnecessary. Really unnecessary," said one parent, Marie Nirenburg.