Parents describe league founder’s outburst
Published 10:17 pm Tuesday, November 10, 2015
A Holland-based sports team was preparing to take the field at Southampton High School last week when, team parents say, the former NFL player who runs the Cover 3 Foundation caused a stir.
Greg Scott, who founded the football program in 2009 and grew it to the Cover 3 Foundation, including a youth feeding program, in 2011, was the issue, according to team parent Jill Peacock.
Peacock said the parents signed an agreement at the beginning of the season to turn in all uniforms and equipment belonging to the foundation within 10 days after the end of the season.
But on Nov. 3, the last night of the regular season, Scott sent out an email informing members of the Holland Razorbacks that the items must be turned in that night in the event of a loss.
“Most parents didn’t know, and we did not have an opportunity to see that and bring a change of clothes,” said Jennifer Davis, the cheerleading coach and mother of a cheerleader and two football players.
One player was running late on Tuesday, so the team came up with a solution — play the junior team’s game first. Scott wouldn’t agree to that. The team also offered to begin the game with just 10 players, but Scott wouldn’t agree to that, either.
“Greg said ‘No, Holland’s going to forfeit,’” Peacock said.
The team’s coach, Marcus Evans, attempted to talk to Scott, Davis said.
“They ended up in a heated altercation,” Davis said. “Marcus turned around to leave to just get away from it. Greg Scott was following him, continuing to use profanity.”
Scott demanded the players and cheerleaders take off their uniforms.
“I told him, my girls do not have a change of clothes. My girls are not going home naked,” Davis said.
“We told him that we will not disrobe our kids in public and in 60-degree weather,” Peacock said. She added that only the shoulder pads and helmets belong to the foundation. The uniforms belong to the team, she said.
In a video of the incident posted on Facebook, Scott and Evans can be seen in a verbal altercation while other adults instruct the children to leave the area.
Peacock and Davis said a Southampton sheriff’s deputy attempted to stop the players and parents from leaving the area.
“I actually took the deputy’s arm and moved it out of the way so I could get my boy out of that environment,” Peacock said.
“It was nightmarish. It was awful. I have never in my life seen something like that happen at an organized sports event,” Davis said. “It was unbelievable to me. The kids were terrified. It was really ugly and completely unnecessary.”
Davis said she is concerned about what will happen when the parents and coaches go to the Cover 3 Foundation office to return the equipment. Many parents have already said they will not return if the team players under the Cover 3 league next year, she said. The Holland Razorbacks have existed for 30 years.
“It truly is like a family,” she said. “We’re all very close. It was really hard, because we did have some people who left” after last year because of other problems with Scott.
Scott did not return a message left at his office.