District investigating sideline incident at a South Bay high school football game

A video appears to show a coach on the Willow Glen High School sideline shoving a sideline official to the ground

An investigation has been launched after a video emerged showing a South Bay high school football coach aggressively pushing a sideline official to the ground during a game on Friday night.

A coach on the Willow Glen High sideline is seen walking toward the crew that holds the yard markers in a grainy video posted on social media and later made private.

The man quickens his pace as he approaches the crew members working the game at Leland High, then shoves one of them over.

As the coach walked back toward his team, the crew member rose to his feet.

Willow Glen principal Amy Hanna, athletic director Eric Ostrowski, and the San Jose Unified School District were contacted by the Bay Area News Group to confirm the validity of the video and identify the coach involved.

Jennifer Maddox, a district spokesperson, issued the following statement via email on Saturday afternoon:

“Athletics play an important role in our school system.” Our athletes are able to compete because of the assistance of game officials and field personnel. Our number one priority is the safety of everyone involved.

“San José Unified is investigating the incident, and if the assault on a game official or field staff is proven, San José Unified will seek appropriate repercussions.”

The person in the video was not identified by the district.

A text message sent to Willow Glen coach Oscar Caballero asking for the identity of the person involved and the circumstances surrounding the incident was not immediately returned.

Crew members responsible for yard markers at high school games, also known as the chain gang, are usually volunteers from the home team. During games, they line up on the opposing sideline and follow play up and down the field.

On Friday, Willow Glen defeated Leland 21-14.

Willow Glen will host Overfelt on Friday, September 22, while Leland will play Pioneer on the same night.