DESOTO, Texas — DeSoto High School’s football team apologized to St. Thomas Aquinas High School after several DeSoto players, including team captains, refused to shake hands with their opponents before their season opener in Florida on Aug. 29.
A video of the pregame exchange circulated online and drew criticism over the players’ conduct before the game in Fort Lauderdale.
DeSoto later issued a statement apologizing to the St. Thomas Aquinas community, coaches and players and accepting responsibility for the incident.
“We take full responsibility for the conduct of our players and are committed to ensuring our student-athletes uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that our program and community expect,” the statement said.
DeSoto ISD Director of Athletics Dr. M.T. Tyeskie said the players’ actions did not represent the standards of the school’s athletic program.
Tyeskie also highlighted the expectations placed on team captains, who serve as leaders for other players.
“We expect our student-athletes to carry DeSoto ISD’s legacy with sportsmanship and honorable conduct,” Tyeskie said. “Plus, we emphasize a higher standard of excellence upon our team captains as their leadership is an example for others to follow.”
Tyeskie said DeSoto Athletics addressed the incident internally with the football team.
The incident occurred before DeSoto faced St. Thomas Aquinas in its first game of the season. St. Thomas Aquinas won 38-14.
The pregame handshake tradition typically allows opposing players to greet each other before kickoff, making the refusal involving several DeSoto players particularly noticeable in the video.
DeSoto officials said the team has addressed the conduct and reiterated its expectations for sportsmanship and character.
