Dave Doeren speaks out against discrimination toward guest coach with disability

NC State had a special guest on the sideline for Saturday’s win over Clemson. Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren invited 12-year-old Payton Gibbs to serve as a guest coach during Saturday’s ACC showdown.

Gibbs had been serving as an analyst at Golden Gate High School in Naples, Florida alongside her father — PJ Gibbs — before the school district she was coaching at in Florida banned her from the sideline. PJ Gibbs is the defensive coordinator at the school.

Doeren explained following the game why it was important to him to have Payton Gibbs as a guest coach against Clemson.

“We had a special person here visit today. … Payton Gibbs, a young lady from Florida, from Golden Gate High School, that was an assistant student coach there for her father,” Dave Doeren said. “PJ is the defensive coordinator and been on their sideline for two years. She’s a young lady that’s on the autism spectrum and a phenomenal person and wants to be a coach.”

As Doeren said, Payton, who has autism, wants to be a football coach when she gets older.

Doeren and the NC State program provided her a glimpse at what being a college football coach is like over the weekend. Doeren is hopeful that doing so will help allow Payton Gibbs to get more opportunities moving forward and that the school district will reverse its decision.

“She was our guest coach today. She was out there on the 50 for the coin toss. She was down on the field with us. And I just hope that everyone on this call, that has social media… that you would do us all a favor and help her push that story out to people,” Doeren said. “Because we shouldn’t be putting road blocks up for young people that want things, that are good people, that are doing things the right way. It’s just wrong. And so for me to have an opportunity to help her – not just her but people like her – that’s what this was about.”

Doeren made it clear that he is unhappy with the school district’s decision and is encouraging others to speak up so that Gibbs can return to the sideline.

“She came up and visited us last year and found out about four weeks ago that GameDay was going to do a story on her. And they called the superintendent of schools and those folks turned around and banned her from the sideline. I thought we had a disabilities act? So I just said, ‘You know what, if they’re not going to let her do it, then we will,'” Doeren said.

“Hopefully everyone will help support it and get it out to people that can help push this to call your county and make them wake up.”