Four Florida high school football coaches suspended and schools fined for recruiting violations

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The Florida High School Athletic Association has suspended the head coaches at Lakewood Ranch, Manatee and Palmetto, plus an assistant coach at Manatee for recruiting violations. The schools self-reported the violations that are the result of visits by a local middle school football team (Lincoln Academy) to the three schools in the summer of 2019.

The FHSAA has suspended Manatee High head coach Yusuf Shakir for eight games, including the 2020 spring game and fall classic, Shakir must also forfeit $5,000 of his salary. He was reprimanded and placed on administrative probation through June 30, 2021.

The FHSAA report states, Shakir “presented urging, enticing or pressuring statements/acts (approximately 20) to the Lincoln Academy students during a scheduled athletic tour of the school’s football facilities.”

Manatee assistant Dennis Stallard, has been suspended for six games and must forfeit $5,000.

Palmetto High head coach Dave Marino will also sit-out eight games, plus the 2020 spring game and fall classic. Like Shakir, Marino must also forfeit $5,000 of his salary.

Lakewood Ranch head coach Rashad West has been suspended for six games, including four regular-season games, with the same monetary penalty as Shakir and Marino.

Lakewood Ranch and Palmetto were both fined $2,500. Lakewood Ranch was also placed on probation.

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.