Legendary Pulaski Academy coach Kevin Kelley offers remarkable apology for late title game TD

By Cam Smith, USA TODAY High School Sports

USA TODAY High School Sports is a partner of High School Football America

Kevin Kelley has never been the kind of coach to go with the flow. The longtime Pulaski Academy coach made his name by refusing to punt, and moved on to add in distinct rugby elements for the 2015 season.

Yet being an iconoclast has its risks, as Kelley rediscovered the hard way in the Arkansas 5A state title game against Little Rock McClellan. With Pulaski already holding a 43-30 lead and the final seconds ticking away, Kelley ran a play that scored his team a final touchdown with just 12 seconds remaining, padding the final score to 50-30. That was seen as a bridge too far for good taste by some, with at least one local sports reporter singling out Kelley for criticism following the win.

If anyone ever doubted the power of the printed word, take a gander at Kelley’s response to the story by Stephen Sullivan of Little Rock ABC affiliate KATV:

I wanted to let everyone know that as the head football coach of Pulaski Academy I make a lot of mistakes. Last Friday night the decision I made in the closing seconds of the PA versus Little Rock McClellan game was one of them. We scored a final TD at the end of the game when we did not need to do so. I wish I had not chosen to do this. In no way did I want to hurt the kids at McClellan or take the spotlight off a fantastic season by their kids. Nor did I want to take the focus away from the Pulaski Academy players and what they accomplished this year. They represented our school and our state admirably this year and certainly deserve to be recognized accordingly. Despite that, sadly, my actions have stolen the much-deserved spotlight away from the young athletes on both teams.

I love the game of football and all sports and am disappointed in myself for any negativity brought to the game itself, the coaches locally that use this game to develop relationships with kids, and to the kids that play the game.

I apologize also to my family for causing them to have to deal with so much these last few days and for the pain they have endured from all this. I would give anything for that not to have happened.

I am an idiot sometimes and when I make an idiotic mistake I try to use that as an example for the kids by taking responsibility, apologizing and making an effort to repair any damages. I will try to make up for this by serving the game well.

I also apologize for the emotions and outrage that have been brought to the surface. That is never good for anyone.

Football brings out the passion in many of us and that passion should be a positive light in our communities. My decision turned that passion in a negative, destructive direction and for that I apologize.

I became a football coach and athletic director because I knew that was an opportunity to shape young lives in a positive manner and make a positive impact on their future. That is still the reason I coach today. I have always emphasized character and doing the right thing on and off the field, even when nobody is watching, above all else. My commitment to those principles will not waiver.

Again, sometimes I am an idiot and I always try to make up for it. If I could go back and replay this, I would. I can’t so I will work to try to make up for it.

Thank you for your time and attention. I hope you have a Merry Christmas.