PORT ORANGE, Fla. – An Atlantic High School football coach is under investigation after a parent claimed he hazed the varsity football team Friday night after a game.
A football player parent said the coach stopped at a Neigborhood Walmart in Port Orange and forced the players to do up-downs.
"For you to stop at a location that is not one of your destinations, it's a concern to me as a parent," said Jessica, who declined to share her last name.
She's even more concerned about what happened next.
"They pulled over to Walmart, had the boys get off the bus and do up-downs," Jessica said.
Up-downs are an exercise where someone runs in place then dives to the ground and gets back up again.
Jessica said her son's bus stopped at the Neighborhood Walmart around 9:30 p.m. The mother said the coach didn't take no for an answer.
"If the player did not want to do up-downs, they were told to turn in their equipment," she said.
Jessica said her son and a few others refused to do the exercise.
"For him to quit, it's big," she said.
And paid for it Monday Jessica said, when her son showed up to the coach's class.
"He was told to leave the classroom," she said. "Him and three other students because he's no longer part of the football team."
News 6 called Volusia County School District officials who said they were made aware of the complaint Tuesday and are launching an investigation.
Jessica believes the coach should be disciplined for the reported hazing.
"They were humiliated. The boys were tired and then you got to come out and do those up downs? It's not called for. There's other ways of disciplining those children. He should be held accountable the same way. They turn in their equipment, he turns in [his] coaching," she said.
News 6 asked Walmart for surveillance video of the incident but was told the company only releases surveillance video to law enforcement.