The head coach of the Charles H. Flowers High School varsity football team in Prince George’s County, Maryland, has been suspended for the rest of the season.
In a statement to WTOP, Prince George’s County Public Schools said head coach Dameon Powell was suspended after an investigation determined the Jaguars used an “ineligible freshman player” during varsity games. The county’s Office of Interscholastic Athletics received an inquiry on Oct. 8 about the student-athlete.
“Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is committed to upholding all athletic protocols that ensure fairness and integrity in interscholastic competition,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Any deviation from these standards is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Along with Powell’s suspension, Flowers will have to forfeit all games the ineligible player participated in, “in accordance with district and state athletic regulations,” the statement read.
The school system said it will announce the number of games forfeited once the investigation is fully complete. The Jaguars started their season 6-0.
“We recognize the disappointment this situation brings to players, families, and the school community,” the spokesperson wrote. “However, PGCPS will continue to uphold accountability and enforce clear expectations to ensure full compliance across all athletic programs.”
Powell was in his 10th year with the Jaguars. Under his tenure, Flowers has made one Maryland state football championship appearance and two semifinal appearances.
Powell was suspended a season in 2019 for holding an illegal practice before the start of the fall sports season at Shepherd University in West Virginia. In 2023, Flowers was disqualified during the state playoffs for allegedly having an ineligible player.
NBC Washington first reported Powell’s suspension.
It is the latest off the field news involving a D.C.-area high school football team. In early October, Fairfax High School’s football team was banned from Virginia state playoffs after it was determined the program violated recruiting policies.