Former Northwest High School football head coach Travis Hawkins is the new defensive coordinator at Prince George’s football power Wise High School in Upper Marlboro. Hawkins announced the move on social media.
New Colors/Same Impact. Let’s work‼️Some say I made a Wise Decision. Appreciate the opportunity @DaLawnParrish & @CoachRapp_O 🏆
S/O @MichaelAtunrase 📽️ pic.twitter.com/wNYQJ5Cr9v
— Travis Hawkins (@1HawkIsland) February 3, 2023
Hawkins coached Northwest in 2021 and 2022 until a bench-clearing brawl during a Sept. 16 football game against Gaithersburg High School.
Hawkins and two others were let go by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) on Oct. 12, 2022. Also losing their jobs were Gaithersburg High School Athletic Specialist and the Northwest assistant coach, according to a community letter to the school communities.
More than 2,600 people signed a Change.org petition calling for the reinstatement of Northwest High School football coach Travis Hawkins.
According to the petition, which was posted anonymously, “The fight wasn’t started by Coach Hawkins, and the fight didn’t end with Coach Hawkins. Coach Hawkins was assaulted, placed on leave, and now terminated. How can anyone’s job be at stake when they are deescalating while trying to defend themselves from physical violence?”
It continued, “MCPS made a HUGE mistake that would impact an entire community without hearing from the community first. Coach Hawkins is a mentor, a father figure to most without one, a teacher, a confidant, a pillar in our community, and was a breath of fresh air for most parents, and all students that he encountered.”
The petition writer noted, “Most of the children that Coach Hawkins mentors come from broken homes. Most of the children that he’s coached didn’t get good grades, some of the students didn’t see their life progressing passed high school, and some of the students had behavioral issues. Not only is he their coach, but it he also a stand in for the fathers that they don’t have. How do you take away the one person that gave those boys solace? He is what those boys need. His position needs to be reinstated by MCPS immediately.”
Petition signer Nicole Adams wrote, “Travis deserves his job back. He was not only teaching the guys how to play football but also how to work as a team on and off the field. He was teaching them how to respect other teams players. He even disciplined his own team before for being unsportsmanlike towards another team. He was teaching them that academics come first before games. There was a lot he was teaching them and I have witnessed from working at Northwest. He’s a one of a kind person and coach!
Signer Chris Everett wrote, “Travis is not just a great football coach but a role model in the community to these kids that look up to him!”
Many of the other comments described Travis a great mentor who was only defending himself.
Hawkins called it “a wonderful thing” that almost 5,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org calling for his reinstatement.
Assault charge filed against Hawkins in Montgomery County District Court were dropped in connection with the bench-clearing fight.
In a tweet, he called it “a small win” that the charges were dropped.
He is no longer permitted to coach in Montgomery County Public School District, he said, noting at the time that since he never was a teacher there, the technical term is that his position was vacated.
“At the moment, I am not eligible to be a coach,” he told MyMCM at the time.
He said at the time he hadn’t decided if he will seek a new coaching position, but said, “If I did, it would be outside of Montgomery County Public Schools.”
When asked to comment on the fight and his role in it, Hawkins replied at the time, “The eye in the sky don’t lie,” adding, “I can’t answer those questions at the moment.”
Wise High School has won five Maryland state championships since 2012.
Hawkins, 31, is a Montgomery County native who played cornerback at Quince Orchard High School where he graduated in 2009. He then played for the University of Maryland and the University of Delaware. Hawkins played with the New England Patriots in 2014 and three seasons in the Canadian Football League.
Related post:
Petition Calls for Reinstatement of Northwest Football Coach
