Addison football coach defends his record, refutes allegations

DOUBLE SPRINGS - The future of long-time Addison High School football coach David Smothers is uncertain, with Smothers defending his strong coaching record and refuting ongoing allegations at the January 28, Winston County Board of Education meeting.
Smothers, along with his brother, fellow coach Woody Smothers, parents, Steve and Sherry Smothers and friend, Shea Williams, attended the board meeting, with David addressing Winston County Schools Superintendent Jeff Scott and board members.
“Mr. Smothers, you get five minutes,” Board President Joey Boteler informed Smothers.
“When does that time start?” Smothers asked Boteler.
“When I get done telling you what we can do,” Boteler responded.
Smothers gave out some printed information to board members before he spoke.
“There will be no interaction between you and the board tonight,” Boteler told Smothers. “We’ll take what you say under advisement  and, if there is a reply, it will be at a later date.”
“Opinions and facts. We mess those two things up all the time in our lives,” Smothers began. “I am here tonight to speak on why I should remain the head coach at Addison.
“I am not here because I got a DUI or threw some kid through the fence or got in a fight with a parent,” Smothers continued. “I am here because of complaints, opinions mostly.”
Smothers added that standards at Addison were put in place years ago by the now-late head football coach A.G. Hicks, for whom the football stadium is named.
The goal when Smothers took the head coaching job 13 years ago, was to be as successful as Coach Hicks, Smothers told the board.
“I feel like I have done that,” he said.
“I think Coach Hicks would be a supporter of mine,” Smothers said. “I don’t think I would be sitting here right now if Coach Hicks was still around. I think he would have nipped this in the bud a long time ago.”
Smothers had asked to remain seated in a chair facing the superintendent and board members while making his comments.
“I love Addison, I love coaching, and I love competing.  All these things I love and  it has been taken away from me, possibly because of opinions,” Smothers emphasized.
“I am not going to deny that there are complaints that are legit,” he stated. “I am ashamed and astonished at the lack of communication I’ve had in this entire matter.
“I was notified on Wednesday that in four working days, this board of education was going to bring forward and vote if I was going to be the head coach at Addison anymore,” Smothers continued. “Four working days. I have been there 13 years. I was caught completely off guard.
“Not five times, not four, not three, not two, not one...not one time did a board member or a superintendent ever come to me with a complaint, ever,” Smothers addressed.
“My principal has come to me a handful of times with small matters, small situations, nothing worthy of losing a position over,” he added.
“These are my opinions,” Smothers continued “So this is entirely shocking to me that I am here. I didn’t see the writing on the wall.”
Smothers further told Scott and the board that the subject in the community regarding him was based off opinions.
Smothers then directed board members’ attention to the hand-out showing his record as head coach at AHS.
“Three years ago, we were 9-3,” Smothers noted. “That is not a down year. Last year, we were 8-3. That is not a down year. This year, we had a down year. We were 6-4.  I was playing four or five ninth graders, 10th graders.  We got beat, no doubt, and nobody hated it more than me.
“What I am asking of you is in the future, especially new board members, try to dampen the sparks so they don’t create any fires,” Smothers pointed out.  
Smothers explained that opinions about him in the community are helping to fan the flames.
“Thirteen seasons is plenty enough time to ruffle some feathers due to complaints,” Smothers continued. “I am not denying that some of those complaints are not legit. I am not denying that at all.”
Smothers concluded that he could sleep well at night, knowing he had done things the right way.
“I have worked hard. I have done it with integrity,” Smothers stated. “I have not cheated.  I haven’t done anything I am ashamed of. I wouldn’t do anything different.  I wouldn’t do anything different as far as my coaching career and the job we’ve done since we’ve been at Addison.
“I think it will be very challenging to find somebody to fill my position that loves Addison as much as I do,  that loves those kids as much as I do, that works as hard as I do and is as loyal as I am,” Smothers continued.
“I would like for you to consider the precedent this is taking,” Smothers added. “It is basically demonstrating to parents and this entire county - Lynn, Meek, Winston County, Haleyville, everywhere - the body of work doesn’t matter.
“Look at that body of work,” Smothers exclaimed, directing board members’ attention to the hand out. “The  body of work doesn’t matter. That is what this precedent is setting.
“You get enough people to call and complain, you can get rid of anybody you want to. It doesn’t matter what they have done,” Smothers further exclaimed. “I would like for you to keep that in mind.”
The hand-out showed that Hicks, in his first 13 seasons as AHS head football coach, had 81 wins and 40 losses for a 66.9 percent win record, compared to Smothers’ 13 seasons of 92 wins and 34 losses for a 73 percent winning record, Smothers had illustrated.
“I shouldn’t be over here telling why I want to be...I am the head coach at Addison,” Smothers pointed out. “My body of work is right there.”
One allegation Smothers brought out publicly was the kids did not want to play football at Addison.
“We’ve got more kids in the Addison football program than any school in the county.  We’ve got more participants in Addison in football,” Smothers noted. “Kids not wanting to play, that’s an opinion. The proof is on that paper.”

Scott hopes decision made soon

Scott said after the meeting that he could not discuss any allegations or personnel issues, but did state the board wanted to hear directly from Smothers on his concerns.
“I think that was good, the board wanting to do that, to hear from him directly because I would never want to make a decision  on anybody without them being able to present their side of it,” Scott pointed out.
“The complaints have been on the coaching side of it, so this will mainly be the coaching,” said Scott, noting there had not been an issue with Smothers’ role as a teacher at AHS.
“Our coaching contracts are only one-year contracts.  They run from year to year,” Scott explained. “His contract would expire and he would have to be renewed as a coach unless the board goes ahead and takes action now.”
The coaching contracts across Winston County Schools were approved in May, 2024, according to Scott.
The next step is for the board to discuss what Smothers presented to the board and take that into consideration, Scott said.
“Personally, I hope it will be sooner rather than later,” Scott said. “I feel like our kids, need to know who their coach is going to be, whether it is going to be (Smothers) or somebody else.
“Ball season, for me as a coach, is always the most critical part of it,” Scott continued, “and David needs to know.  That way, if it doesn’t work out, if he wants an opportunity to pursue another job, it give him that opportunity.
“And, for the kids’ sake, I hope a decision is made quickly for everybody involved,” Scott noted.