Shortly after Long Beach Poly football coach Justin Utupo informed the562 that he was stepping down after one season coaching the Jackrabbits, the Long Beach Unified School District announced that it has completed an internal review, which confirmed that three Poly coaches violated CIF-SS Bylaw 202 B5, relating to school personnel falsifying documents
The district release states:
“Poly’s walk-on head coach has been released from employment with the District and will no longer be able to coach in Long Beach USD
One assistant walk-on coach, who resigned from the District during the investigation, is no longer eligible to coach in Long Beach USD
One assistant coach, who also serves as a campus staff assistant, has been relieved of all coaching duties and is being transferred to another location.”
While the coaches aren’t named, Utupo was the walk-on head coach of the Jackrabbits this year. He was previously the head coach of two other LBUSD schools, Lakewood and Millikan, and was a standout player at Lakewood before playing at Notre Dame.
The release notes that “CIF Bylaw 202 can lead to serious consequences, including probation, game forfeitures, loss of playoff eligibility, or even loss of CIF or Section membership. These penalties apply when school personnel provide, or allow others to provide, false or incomplete information to gain a student-athlete an eligibility advantage. By proactively addressing the issue, the District intended to protect Poly from potentially more significant outcomes that CIF could impose.”
The release says the district is conducting a review of all of its athletic programs “to ensure protocols, training, and expectations are clearly understood and consistently applied.” It also states the district is awaiting the CIF Southern Section’s “final determination on any remaining sanctions.”
Poly principal Alejandro Vega sent a signed message to Poly families that includes a paragraph not present in the LBUSD media release:
“We recognize the disappointment and concern these events have caused within our community. Our student-athletes and their families deserve programs built on integrity, transparency, and trust. While personnel consequences cannot undo the impact of this situation, they are essential steps to ensure accountability, reinforce expectations for all athletic staff, and support a firm and fair program moving forward.”
Poly families had planned a protest at the LBUSD Board of Education meeting this evening, although it wasn’t clear at print time if that was going to go forward. This is a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
