By Gary Lloyd
Walker’s head football coach John Holladay, a former head coach at Clay-Chalkville, was placed on paid administrative leave as a result of Friday’s altercation after a game against Cullman.
Cullman defensive coordinator Matt Hopper was bloodied during a postgame altercation between coaches. According to The Cullman Times, Holladay can be seen pushing, punching and taking Hopper to the ground. The two were quickly swallowed by a sea of people, including Walker players and assistants, as well as police officers, who eventually separated each coach.
According to ABC 33/40, Holladay resigned Tuesday afternoon.
Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Steve Savarese released this statement Tuesday: “The AHSAA is saddened by the incident that occurred during the Cullman vs. Walker varsity football game and disappointed by the actions of those involved. The AHSAA is always disappointed by any unsportsmanlike incident that involves players or coaches from our member schools.
“Our coaches are teachers first, and must demonstrate examples of good sportsmanship at all times. We truly understand the passions that are involved in competitive athletics, but we can never allow those passions to cross the line and become unsportsmanlike in nature. This is an isolated incident, and is not indicative of the good sportsmanship demonstrated by the more than 10,000 coaches in our state each day. Once our investigation is complete, we will release our findings to the member schools involved. When that process has been completed, the AHSAA will release a statement. Any subsequent statements or information must then come from the member schools involved.”
Holladay coached at Clay-Chalkville for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, compiling a 19-5 record. He was 2-2 in the playoffs, losing in the third round in 2005 and the first round in 2006.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.