By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-22 19:14:12 | Updated at 2024-11-23 04:56:41
10 hours ago
Students at a Miami high school have rallied around a football coach who was suspended earlier this week for allegedly watching porn on the campus.
Max Edwards was seen on video footage seemingly watching pornographic material inside a Miami Jackson Senior High classroom.
He has been temporarily removed from the school as they investigate the footage, which was first obtained by CBS News Miami.
Outside of the school on Wednesday, students came to his support and could be hear chanting 'Free Max', believing the incident has been misunderstood.
Speaking with local10, Deontae Dowdell said: 'He’s a good coach. He respected us and believed in God and everything else.
'I feel like he was probably watching a movie, it was probably and ad, it's all random.'
Dannis Morris said: 'As an athlete, he changed the whole team. The rumors need to stop, he's not that type of man, he's a good person. Free that man.'
Another added: 'It was a misunderstanding, he is a good coach', while others shouted 'Free Max' in the background.
Deontae Dowdell told the outlet that Edwards 'believed in God' and that he believes the whole thing to be a misunderstanding
Max Edwards was seen on video footage seemingly watching pornographic material inside a Miami Jackson Senior High classroom
One student spoke of their disappointment over the footage, saying: 'I thought it was kind of insane because why would a teacher do that?
The coach is a well known figure in Miami-Dade high school football, and had previously coached at Miami Northwestern Senior High School for a decade
'You’re on the clock. You’re not supposed to be doing that, you’re teaching.'
It is unclear how long he had been watching the inappropriate content for, but he is seemingly in the presence of at least one student who captured the footage.
In a statement, the schools district said: 'Miami-Dade County Public Schools is disturbed by the allegations made regarding concerning behavior involving an employee at Miami Jackson Senior High School.
'The individual has been removed from the school site pending the outcome of an investigation. At this time, we cannot provide any further comment.'
Earlier this week, 12th grade student Simora Caraballo told NBC Miami that some students seemed to believe it had happened before.
Caraballo said: 'It’s claims that there was a video that came out before that but a lot of the team was scared to talk about it because of their season.
'You’re a grown man watching that in a child’s vision, it seemed like he just didn’t have any regards to how we felt, how we would feel if we saw it because it’s like he felt so comfortable.'
Outside of the school on Wednesday, students came to his support and could be hear chanting 'Free Max'
Edwards guided Northwestern to three consecutive state championships from 2017 to 2019
The school said in a statement that Edwards had been removed from the school, seen here, pending an investigation
An unknown parent also told the outlet: 'It’s very disturbing just to think that he’s a coach, he’s around kids and what made him get in that mindset to go watch pornography around kids, you’re at work.
The coach is a well known figure in Miami-Dade high school football, and had previously coached at Miami Northwestern Senior High School for a decade.
Edwards guided Northwestern to three consecutive state championships from 2017 to 2019.
He was previously suspended due to unauthorized football training during the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020.
Edwards was later reinstated in June of that year and issued an apology for the decision to have his team train.
