PERQUIMANS CO., NC -- The head coach of the Perquimans Co. High School football team has been disciplined after school officials discovered that two players on the team continued to play after they had been convicted on criminal charges earlier this year.
According to Teresa Beardsley with Perquimans County Schools, Coach Elvin James allowed the students to continue to play while he worked with them on their problems.
"This is against the school system policy which says that football players who are charged with crimes should be suspended immediately and not allowed back on the team until legal proceedings are finished," she said.
She would not confirm the nature of the discipline meted out to James. She did say the coach allowed the students to continue to play in the spirit of helping them.
She declined to identify the two football players — one of whom is wearing a court-ordered electronic monitoring device. She confirmed that they have been suspended from the team indefinitely after school officials learned they were on probation for criminal charges that included assault and battery.
Both remain enrolled in school because their convictions were for misdemeanors rather than felonies.
According to Perquimans school district policy, "any student cited with or in relation to assault, stealing, or any felony charge will be suspended from (a) team immediately. The student may only return to the team once the charges have been dismissed and/or a decision of 'not guilty' has been rendered."
