Agassi Prep football coach Fermon suspended

Agassi Prep football coach Ben Fermon has been suspended by the school with pay and will not be on the sidelines Friday for the Stars’ biggest game of the season.

Fermon, who also is the school’s athletic director, said he was suspended on Wednesday and believed it was the result of a football coaches meeting that occurred on Tuesday night.

A spokesman for Agassi Prep said Thursday the school cannot comment on personnel matters.

It is not known who will coach the Stars (5-1, 4-0 Division III Southern League) when they play at The Meadows (5-2, 4-0) at 7 p.m. Friday with sole possession of first place in the league at stake.

“To me, it’s a football issue,” Fermon said. “It should have stayed a football issue.”

According to Fermon, he was approached by one of his assistant coaches Tuesday morning and called the coaches meeting so his staff could “clear the air” after practice that day. Fermon said he was notified by Agassi Prep director/chief operating officer Chris Smith of the suspension the following morning.

Fermon said no altercation took place at the meeting and did not believe the suspension involved a legal matter.

“The only thing I can put a footprint or a head on is something that’s taken place internally with me and an assistant coach,” Fermon said. “I’ve never heard of a situation where the assistant coach has a disagreement with the head coach and goes outside the coaching staff to lodge a complaint, which (starts) an investigation which gets the head coach and athletic director suspended pending further investigation.”

Fermon is in his second season as Agassi Prep’s football coach after previously serving as the athletic director and wrestling coach at Laughlin. In his first year, the Stars went 6-4 and lost to The Meadows 34-12 in a Division III state quarterfinal.

“I am very sure that any other coaching staff within the city, assistant coaches don’t run to their principal or overstep their bounds,” Fermon said. “If they have an issue with the head coach, they handle things within their coaching staff.”