Video surfaces revealing why Hoover coaches Drew Gilmer, Adam Helms were placed on administrative leave
After a video of coaches seemingly harassing players during a practice surfaced on social media, Hoover head coach Drew Gilmer and defensive coordinator Adam Helms have both been placed on administrative leave effective immediately.
Gilmer was just hired to run the program in January, arriving after spending the previous seven years at Clay-Chalkville High School.
The video, obtained by WKRG News 5 Sports, appears to show a coach humping a player while down on the field. It also shows another coach run up to a player and rip his helmet off while knocking him to the ground.
WKRG News 5 Sports identifies the coach seemingly humping the player as Gilmer and Helms as the coach who pushes the player to the ground. You can view video of the incident below.
The local school district has chimed in on the incident with a statement provided to WKRG.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities,” Hoover Schools Superintendent Kevin Maddox said in a statement. “We are taking this matter seriously and working diligently to resolve it promptly and fairly.”
Gilmer is in his first year as the school’s head coach, hired away from Clay-Chalkville after a considerable amount of success. He won two state titles there.
Hoover is one of the top schools in the state for football, a perennial powerhouse in the sport. That the school was able to pluck Gilmer from a school where he’d had so much success is evidence of that.
Gilmer was 81-12 in his previous stint before taking the Hoover job, with a perfect 14-0 season in 2023.
Now in a bit of a wait-and-see state, Hoover is slated to begin its 2024 football season against Spain Park on Friday, Aug. 30. According to data provided by the Massey Ratings, Hoover is projected to win 35-14.