FILDEBRANDT: Student-players speak up for Sylvan Lake coach fired for his views

The firing of Sylvan Lake high school football coach "Teej" Johannesson for his views on trans ideology isn't quietening down since we broke the story earlier this week. Sacked by H.J. Cody High School Principal Alex Lambert after he posted a relatively innocuous TikTok video discussing trans ideology, Teej's volunteer colleagues, players, former players, and parents are running defence for him.They feel like they're down a man on the team, but haven't committed an infraction warranting a penalty. The Lakers are now without their volunteer coach and defensive coordinator of 10 years. Current student athletes were told to stay out of the whole issue and keep quiet, and most I spoke to fear reprisal from the school if they spoke on the record, so I won't be using their real names here. One current player — let's call him 'Nose Tackle' — says the entire team took the hit to the gut. Some players are considering ways of protesting the decision to fire their coach.."Some players want to forfeit [a game in protest], some don’t because it's their senior year. But I want to quit if it means getting Teej back.”Like other players and volunteers I spoke to, the fired coach never discussed his views on politics or culture with the team — just football.Nose Tackle thinks Lambert is out of line in telling the students to stay out of the controversy.He says Lambert personally confronted him about an email he sent in support of Coach Teej."She said, ‘I got your email and I know it's hard, but it’s a teacher and board member matter. You need to stay out of it."“The school always says, 'voice your own opinion. Be yourself,' but now they are trying to shut all the kids up. Teej never said anything disrespectful. He just doesn’t agree with giving them [gender confused kids] drugs and all that. And I agree with that. It’s not helping them.”His mother was perhaps even more upset than her son."We’re not going to allow anybody to censor our son. He knows that this is wrong, and we’re going to support him speaking out.”The player says that Coach Teej "never even once voiced anything about sex changes, or that transgender people are bad. Only positively and to love all people.”.Nose Tackle thinks the flag on the play should be for Lambert, not his coach.“Personally, I think Lambert should have been fired two years ago...I think she should be fired now, especially. I don’t know what she wants us to do. Without Teej, we basically have no team. A bunch of people have quit over this since she fired him."Noah (real name) played football under Coach Teej during his 11th grade, but his senior year's season was mainly cancelled due to COVID-19 school shutdowns.He wasn't aware that his former coach even had any views on trans ideology.“I don’t think I heard him talk about anything other than football. He’s so passionate about football that he wouldn’t waste time talking about politics or anything else during practice or before.”“There’s nothing wrong with what he said. He cares about kids. He coaches us and trains us to make kids into adults.” Noah says Lambert should be allowed to stay in her job, so long as she apologizes and lets him coach again.'Corner Back' was coached by Teej for three seasons in high school football, and trained under him during summer camps since he was 12.“I think it’s unfair. Someone as kind-hearted and caring as Teej has the right to speak his mind and give his opinion. People are going to get offended every day, but everyone is entitled to their opinion."."He has never pushed anything on me, my friends, my teachers. I’ve never heard him talk about it other than on social media. He is one of the most accepting people I know. He’s an idol for you to look up to."I had some great coaches during my time in rugby and Aussie rules football, but I've never seen or heard of a coach as truly loved by his players as is Teej. They all sound like they would take a bullet for the man.'Corner Back' isn't as hard on Lambert as some of the other players I spoke with. In fact, he downright likes her.“She’s a great person, but maybe didn’t do the best job in this whole situation.”.Another current player — let's give him the name Defensive End for now — wants to fight back. "I don't think Teej said anything wrong. I even agree. He never said anything like that around any of the other kids playing."He and other players are considering forms of protest."We are thinking about putting up posters and making shirts. We've already posted a bunch online about this."He supports 'Nose Tackles' idea of forfeiting a game in protest, or coming out onto the field with their team's flag replaced with a picture of their fired coach..One player in his third year that I'll refer to as 'Defensive Tackle' — like everyone I interviewed, never heard Teej speak about political issues before. I caught him on the phone as he was going into practice without his coach.“Practices this week have all been pretty terrible. We’ve all been down that Teej isn’t here. Our defence is weak now.”“He’s an extremely good man. He cares a lot about us. We care about him. He’s taught me a lot, about football and life.”He thinks Lambert should be tossed from the game for misconduct.“I think this shows that she’s not here for us. She’s just here for herself.”Kohen Blair played for the Lakers under Coach Teej for three seasons. His views on what should happen with Lambert fall somewhere in the middle.“There's anger, deep down, that wants you to get some kind of justice for this. But she should be allowed to keep her job if he’s reinstated. If he’s not reinstated, I think she shouldn’t keep her job. Because it's violated her power a lot to silence somebody for speaking their opinion.” Blair thinks the whole thing is mad though.“Kicking him off the team is a little bit crazy. His opinions aren’t something that you can kick a coach off for. It’s not like he insulted trans children or something. He only stated his opinion on what should happen with the [hormone suppression] drugs and things like that. Whether you agree with that or not, I don’t think it’s something that you can kick a coach off for.”“I honestly didn’t know his opinion on the topic until now, for three years. I know him very well.”'Tight End' played with Teej for three seasons.He sounds off like his team mates.“Not ever, has he ever brought up his political views to me, or any players.”It's a common theme among everyone I spoke to. Teej never spoke of — let alone pushed — his views to players on or off the field. His views were his own. And they weren't crazy or hurtful at that..“He’s passionate about football", says 'Tight End'. "He’s passionate about coaching. He’s passionate about helping young men and young women not just succeed on the field but in life. His goal is to help us men to succeed as fathers, as husbands, as brothers.”.I briefly reached Lambert, but she had little to say."I cannot comment while this is under investigation," she said.To which I responded, "So, you fired him before conducting your investigation?"I got the old-fashioned "no comment" from Lambert at that point.Chinook's Edge School Division Superintendent Ryan Sawula took nearly two days to send a short, crafted — and curious — statement to the Western Standard."Chinook’s Edge is aware of concerns in the community of Sylvan Lake regarding comments allegedly made on social media by an individual. The division is conducting a full investigation into this situation."So far as I can tell, the "concerns in the community" are not about Coach Teej's comments, but about his firing. But let's continue."The division has asked a volunteer coach at H.J. Cody School to step away from their responsibilities at this time."That's just not true. In fact, it's a bald-faced lie. I listened to a recording of the conversation Coach Teej had with Lambert. She flatly fired him and told him to stay off school property and have no contact with students or parents. On pain of arrest by the police..And no mention whatever was made of further investigation. Maybe they're investigating now that players, parents and volunteers have raised hell. But the coach was provided no such due process when Lambert canned him.Teej was not "asked" to "step away" while an investigation was conducted. He was unceremoniously sacked and told not to come back.Superintendent Sawula continues."We acknowledge within our communities there are multiple perspectives on complex issues. At the same time, Chinook’s Edge has a legal responsibility to provide all students with a “welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging” (Alberta Education Act Section 33.d). We take this responsibility seriously, and as such, we hold staff members and volunteers to a high standard of conduct."I spoke to many players — past and present — and not one of them felt that their (for now, former) coach was unwelcoming, uncaring, disrespectful or unsafe. Not one felt that he did not respect "diversity" or "foster a sense of belonging." In every single case, it was quite the opposite.Some players even pointed out that Teej's wife runs the school's LGTBQ+ alliance club.The whole thing is a hot mess. Clearly, Lambert didn't expect the backlash. Nor did she expect this kind of thing to be newsworthy.She seems to be living in 2020, when simply name-calling someone an "ist" or "phobe" of some variety could shut someone down. But the magic power of those labels has been worn out and lost by their frequent abuse..Folks like Coach Teej now wear a talisman made of courage. So long as they refuse to be cowed, petty tyrants like Lambert are unable to smear them.I lean toward the views of 'Nose Tackle' in this dispute. The Lamberts of this world should not be allowed to walk away from this by backing down from her decision. She has been placed in a position of trust and authority over our children, and she has broken that trust by enforcing the radical political correctness of an ideology.Our schools and children deserve better.The way to fix this is clear: bring back Coach Teej, and trade Principal Lambert to another team.The man is an adored role model for his players, and they appear ready to fight to keep their coach. "It’s our time to step up and help him, as he’s helped us," said 'Nose Tackle.'

FILDEBRANDT: Student-players speak up for Sylvan Lake coach fired for his views

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