Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst-turned-high school football coach Trent Dilfer has apologized after he was seen engaged in a heated confrontation with one of his players in a recent game.
Dilfer, now coaching high school ball in Tennessee, turned heads when a video showing him angrily berating an apparently defiant player went viral on social media over the weekend.
The school's football program, the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs, addressed the incident on Saturday, including a statement of apology from the 49-year-old former QB, who won a Super Bowl as a starter with the Ravens in 2000.
In the statement, published on social media, Dilfer said he failed for "not deescalating an emotional situation."
"I want to address the incident on our sideline during Friday night's game versus Independence that has drawn a lot of attention," Dilfer said. "First and foremost, I take full responsibility as the head coach and leader of our team for not deescalating an emotional situation with one of our players, Beau Dawson. Beau is one of our finest student athletes and embodies all that characteristics owe are looking for in our Mustang players. Beau plays the game with the right kind of passion and is an inspiration to our other players.
"During a moment of frustration and in an attempt to get our team to play with more discipline, I unfairly singled Beau out. Somehow Beau Dawson has been portrayed publically [sic] as the culprit in this situation, when in reality, I should have been a better leader and shown greater wisdom and discernment in how I handled this incident. Overall, I could not be moer proud of Beau and the rest of our team for how they handle the emotional nature of each game they compete in."
It was unclear what exactly initiated the questionable interaction, but video showed Dilfer grabbing the player by his shoulder pads and aggressively gesturing for him to sit down on an empty bench, while the player slams his helmet on the ground. An assistant coach intervened, trying to separate Dilfer from the player, and later another player and coach step in.
Dilfer took the coaching job in January 2019, about two years after he was laid off by ESPN in one of its several rounds of layoffs in recent years that affected some longtime on-air talents. The school is located on the same campus as Lipscomb University, where his daughter played volleyball.
Dilfer played 14 seasons in the NFL, spending time with the Buccaneers, Ravens, Seahawks, Browns and 49ers. He retired after the 2007 campaign.
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