California high school football coach breaks silence after firing, canceled season

· Yahoo Sports

Nearly two months after canceling its 2026 varsity high school football season, Pasadena High School (CA) is moving on from its head coach.

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Ron Jones announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Nov. 3, that the school informed it was moving in another direction with the football program. Jones led the Bulldogs to their first CIF Southern Section football championship since 1933 just two seasons ago.

"This morning, Pasadena High School informed me that my time as a head football coach had come to an end," Jones wrote in a statement. "I want to thank our players and their families, my coaching staff, and the Pasadena community for the honor of leading the Bulldogs."

On Sept. 11, Pasadena Unified School District sent an email to the parents of players on the team announcing the high school would forfeit the rest of their varsity schedule, citing concerns about player safety as the reason.

The Bulldogs were outscored 133-14 through the first three weeks, which included a 42-6 loss to Norwalk on Sept. 4 at home.

"The 2026 season was different," Jones said in his statement. "After 21 seniors graduated from our 2025 team and 10 starters transferred, we were left with just two seniors. Because of the safety and readiness concerns this raised, my staff and I recommended moving to a junior varsity schedule. We made that recommendation in the spring, giving families time to plan and other schools time to adjust, and again over the summer. Administration chose to play varsity without consulting our staff. We disagreed, but once the decision was made, we stayed fully committed to preparing and protecting our players."

Jones continued to say Pasadena's athletic trainer submitted "written safety concerns," which led to the school district making the decision to forfeit the rest of the varsity season.

The biggest cancelation was the matchup against rival Muir, also known as the Turkey Tussle. The game has historically been played at the Rose Bowl since 1954.

"Public reports suggested the coaching staff and administration agreed on that decision," Jones wrote. "I want to clarify that neither the decision to play varsity nor the decision to forfeit was made in consultation with our staff. Both times, we were informed afterward. Having grown up in Pasadena/Altadena, I know what the Turkey Tussle means to both communities, and our staff deserved a seat at that table."

Jones said it's been "hard to understand" why the school has decided to part ways with him as the football program's head coach, adding that in three years, he'd only had "a handful of meetings with the principal or athletic directors and never received a year-end review or a clear picture of the direction they wanted."

"This was my third time coaching at Pasadena High," Jones said. "I keep coming back because I love this community, and while I am disappointed in how this ended, I am proud of what our players and staff accomplished."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California high school football coach breaks silence after firing, canceled season

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