Simi Valley High Coach Fired After Ball Hits Player

Adam Brubaker, the head football coach at Royal High School in Simi Valley, California, was fired on August 22, 2026, just hours before the team's season-opening game, after a school campus camera captured him kicking a football that struck a player in the groin area during practice. The Simi Valley Unified School District made the decision to dismiss Brubaker following a review of the incident, which occurred earlier in the week and quickly circulated on social media. The footage shows Brubaker visibly upset and advancing toward a player, berating him after a drill play he believed was unsafe and banned in practice. During the confrontation, Brubaker kicked a football lying on the ground, which ricocheted into another player, causing the student to collapse in pain. Other adults and players rushed to assist the injured student, who had to be helped off the field. Brubaker characterized the kick as a "complete accident" and a "one in a million shot." He explained that his frustration stemmed from seeing a player violently tackle a teammate to the ground during a drill, a move coaches prohibit due to injury risk.