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Two Alabama high school football coaches resign after staff is caught thrusting hips in player’s face, ripping off helmets during practice

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Two Alabama high school football coaches resign after staff is caught thrusting hips in player’s face, ripping off helmets during practice


Two Alabama high school football coaches have resigned from their positions over inappropriate behavior that circulated across social media, which included staffers thrusting their hips in players’ faces during practices.

Head coach Drew Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms left their roles with the Hoover High School football team after they were initially placed on administrative leave, the school district announced during a Board of Education special meeting on Thursday.

In one of the videos, obtained by WBRC, a coach was caught thrusting his hips into the face of a player on the ground as another coach ripped a different player’s helmet off following a tackle in practice.

The second video showed a coach sprinting across the field and ripping another player’s helmet off their head as the high schooler fell to the ground during a drill.

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Hoover High School Head coach Drew Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms resigned from the team on Thursday. WBRC 6

“This has nothing to do with him being a good coach on the field of play. It has everything to do with what was depicted on the video in an instance that left pause and concern again throughout, not just Alabama, but throughout the sports industry as a whole,” said Alabama state Rep. Juandalyn Givan according to the outlet.

The school district has not confirmed who the coaches in the videos were, according to the outlet.

In one of the videos, a coach was caught thrusting his hips into the face of a player who was on the ground as another coach rips the players helmet off following a tackle in practice. WBRC 6/YouTube
The second video showed a coach sprinting across the field during a drill, ripping a player’s helmet off as the high schooler fell to the ground, before the coach throws the helmet to the ground.

“The past few days have been extremely unsettling for many of our varsity football players, coaches, and the overall Hoover Community,” Hoover Schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox said in release obtained by WBRC. “The safety and well-being of our students and staff continue to be our top priorities.

“We maintain high expectations for our employees and students. At this time, our focus is dedicated to supporting our football players and coaching staff.”

Givan, representing the players in the videos, alleges that the 17-year-old player was “subjected to an experience no child should ever go through regardless if it’s on the field of play,” AL.com reported.

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On Wednesday, the school district announced offensive coordinator Chip English as the interim head coach for the team, which opens up its season on Aug. 24 in Miami, Florida.

Alabama state Rep. Juandalyn Givan, who is representing the players in the videos, questioned why it “took so long” for the coaches to resign. WBRC 6

The Hoover Police Department said it is investigating the incidents in the videos.

Some student-athletes on the team shared their support for the coaches after they were placed on administrative leave.

“We love Coach Gilmer and Coach Helms! Ask any player on the roster. They’ve done a lot for us and the Hoover program,” one student said on social media. “If the players want him as our coach, we should be able to keep him! He might coach a little differently, but that’s why he wins!”

On Wednesday, the school district announced offensive coordinator Chip English as the interim head coach for the team, which opens up its season on Aug. 24 in Miami, Florida. WBRC 6

Gilmer was hired as the new head coach in January after his tenure at Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Alabama — where he went 81-12.

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Helms followed Gilmer to Hoover High School from Clay-Chalkville.

The Hoover High School varsity football program was featured in the MTV reality series “Two-A-Days.”

The show had 19 episodes between two seasons which ran from Aug. 2006 to April 2007.



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University of Alabama police officer's family leans on law enforcement community after his death

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University of Alabama police officer's family leans on law enforcement community after his death


Dozens of people gathered on the University of Alabama campus Thursday night to honor University of Alabama Police Investigator Justin Beal, who died late Wednesday following complications of cancer. The vigil was originally scheduled to pray for his recovery, but turned into a celebration of life.



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New Alabama women’s basketball coach Pauline Love credits late mentor for coaching career

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New Alabama women’s basketball coach Pauline Love credits late mentor for coaching career


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) – Pauline Love, the new head coach of the Alabama women’s basketball team, says her late college coach, Joye Lee-McNelis, is the reason she got into coaching.

Love played for Lee-McNelis at Southern Miss, describing her as a second mother. Lee-McNelis passed away last summer after a long battle with breast cancer.

A relationship that changed her path

Love said she once told Lee-McNelis she would never go into coaching, a conversation the two laughed about often.

“I used to tell her all the time, I would never do this. I would never put up with somebody like me or I would never work for somebody like her. I was like coach, you’re crazy. We used to laugh about it all the time and she was like you’ll see one day, you’ll see,” Love said.

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Love had planned to work in the tech industry. Instead, she has spent 15 years in coaching.

“She pretty much paved the way for me. There’s no way I’d be sitting here if it wasn’t for her,” Love said.

New Alabama women’s basketball coach Pauline Love credits late mentor for coaching career(WBRC)

High expectations at Alabama

Love returns to Tuscaloosa after previously serving as an assistant at Alabama. She was introduced as head coach in April, and was brought to tears when she mentioned Lee-McNelis during that introduction.

Her goals for the program are clear.

“I’m going to have a passion about it. I want to bring a Final Four to the University of Alabama and make Tuscaloosa proud,” Love said.

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This year’s roster includes Spring Garden’s Ace Austin, back for her sophomore season.

Love said she wants her players to know that difficult times are part of the process.

“I can say for them, I’ve been there. I’ve done it. Just learn how to figure out and fight through hard things. You gotta do something hard and fight through it and I promise you it’s rewarding at the end of it,” Love said.

Love said she also wants to be a source of support for her players off the court, the same way Lee-McNelis was for her.

“I know we always get caught up in the money part of it, but I got a group of girls that doesn’t care about that. They want to care about making the fans happy and giving them something good to watch,” Love said.

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market

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Alabama football fans invited to pep rally at River Market


Alabama football fans are invited to a preseason pep rally Aug. 4 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.  

The pep rally is part of the annual fall kickoff event hosted by the Tuscaloosa County chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. 

The family friendly event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the River Market, 1900 Jack Warner Parkway. Tickets, which include a barbecue dinner, cost $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 8 to 12. Children 7 years old and younger will be admitted for free.   

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The pep rally will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and a range of family-friendly activities. There will also be a cash bar with wine and beer. 

Tickets can be purchased on the chapter’s website, tuscaloosacountyuaalumni.com. Membership in the local alumni chapter is not required for attendance. 

University of Alabama President Peter Mohler and UA baseball coach Rob Vaughn will be part of the festivities. 

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Mohler began his duties as UA president on July 21, 2025.

Before being named UA president, Mohler spent nearly 15 years at Ohio State University, where he held senior leadership roles overseeing research, innovation and economic development. He also served as OSU’s acting president, providing leadership during a pivotal period for one of the nation’s largest public universities. 

Mohler earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wake Forest University and a PhD in cell and molecular physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University Medical Center before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

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Vaughn has been UA’s head baseball coach for three years, leading the Crimson Tide to the College Baseball World Series in 2026. 

The Humble, Texas, native served as head baseball coach at Maryland for five seasons before coming to Tuscaloosa.

Vaughn played collegiate baseball at Kansas State, where his position was catcher. 

Alabama begins the 2026 football season on Sept. 5 with a home game against the East Carolina Pirates. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

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Other Alabama home games include Florida State on Sept. 19, South Carolina on Sept. 26, Georgia on Oct. 10, Texas A&M on Oct. 24, Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and Auburn on Nov. 28.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.  To support his work, please subscribe to The Tuscaloosa News. 



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