They got the phone calls Monday afternoon. 

After weeks of instructing workouts in preparation for the 2020 high school football season, Jackson Public Schools coaches were informed over the phone that those workouts cannot continue.

They were told there won’t be a football season for JPS because of concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sherwin Johnson of JPS issued the following statement to the Clarion Ledger on the contrary: 

“The JPS coaching staff were recently contacted by a District official and misinformed that a decision had been made to cancel the fall football season. 

There has been no official decision or announcement yet regarding athletics and extracurricular activities for the fall semester in Jackson Public Schools.”

The District is carefully reviewing potential options, safety guidelines and recommendations from local and state health officials as it considers whether or not to allow sports and other events in the fall. The health, safety, and well-being of our students, staff and families will guide whatever decision is made.”

‘I trust those people’s judgement’ 

Forest Hill coach Jeremy Jones and Lanier coach Michael Ashford were two of the district coaches who were told football had been canceled for JPS schools this fall.

If that ends up being the case anyway, Jones said he will be devastated for his players.

“All the hard work, the dedication they put in, for them not to have the opportunity is would really hurt them,” Jones said. “I know the pandemic is going on, but I don’t think a rushed decision was the best decision.” 

Two weeks ago, the Mississippi High School Activities Association voted to delay the start of football season by two weeks. The current schedule will allow schools to begin their seasons on Sept. 4. 

Ashford’s Lanier Bulldogs, along with coaches and players from Callaway, Forest Hill, Jim Hill, Murrah and Provine, hope to be a part of the action this fall. But if they’re not, Ashford said he would understand why. 

“These administrators get so much information from health organizations from the state,” Ashford said. “I trust those people’s judgement that they’re going to look after the welfare of the teachers and students.” 

‘Nobody wants a child to die’ 

Ashford said people aren’t quick to realize a lot of teachers in the school system have underlying health conditions that make them more susceptible to becoming extremely ill if they contract the novel coronavirus. 

Ashford himself has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He said he has taken every precaution necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, from wearing a mask to prudent hand-washing and sanitation practices. 

He said not enough people have put forth similar strategies, however. At the time of the Clarion Ledger’s interview with Ashford, he believed his season had already been canceled. It could still get axed before Week 1.  

“If this pandemic had been handled the way it should have been, we’d probably be in a different situation,” Ashford said. “But since it was handled the way a lot of people think it should not have been handled, these are the consequences we have to suffer.”

Ashford said the logistics of playing high school football don’t make sense in the middle of a pandemic anyway. He wondered how to safely social distance on a crowded school bus for a road game, for instance. 

“You have a lot of issues these school districts are trying to grapple with to do things safely for the staffs and for the kids,” Ashford said. “Nobody wants a child to die. That would be heart-crushing to anybody.”

Just a few hours removed from the gut-wrenching phone call, it was harder for Jones to think about why the season was on the fringe of being canceled than it was for Ashford. Again, he could only think about his players. 

Jones is worried his seniors won’t be recruited and won’t have opportunities to secure college scholarships if they are not able to play this year. He’s worried players from every grade level won’t be able to emotionally accept a year without putting on pads and playing the game they love. 

“Some of them might be able to handle it, but a lot of them can’t,” Jones said. “A lot of them would have a very rough year. Coaches get into the profession for the kids. Getting them through that would be the toughest coaching job we’ve ever had.” 

Contact Tyler Horka at [email protected]. Follow @tbhorka on Twitter. To read more of Tyler’s work, subscribe to the Clarion Ledger today!