Turmoil at West Charlotte: Football coach suspended pending district investigation
Just two weeks before the start of the 2022 high school football season, West Charlotte High School is once again dealing with a tough situation, and parents are concerned about the direction of their school’s program.
Lions head coach Sam Greiner has not been with the team for more than a week, and some parents and a source close to the program say he is being investigated by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for recruiting violations and treatment of players.
A district spokesperson would only say he’s still an employee of the district.
Greiner, who has been a co-host on The Observer’s Talking Preps streaming show, declined comment. West Charlotte principal Donevin Hoskins did not return phone or email messages. Hoskins is set to return to Guilford County Schools this fall, where he was once a principal, taking a role as Guilford County Schools’ principal supervisor.
An independent source close to the Lions program said Greiner was being investigated over several accusations from at least one former coach, as well as an alumnus and booster.
The allegations, the source said, include recruiting players outside the district; a player eligibility issue that led to West Charlotte having to forfeit all of its games last year; Greiner not giving players water breaks during preseason practices; and Greiner not giving enough rest periods, in general, as players were working out in intense heat.
Greiner, who had most recently coached at Hickory Ridge, was hired at West Charlotte in the summer of 2020, and hoped to duplicate the success he’d previously had at Harding, where he turned the Rams from an also-ran into a state champion. In 2017, Harding won its first state championship since 1953.
In April, however, CMS announced that West Charlotte would forfeit all 11 of its games from the 2021 season. West Charlotte had finished 7-4 and made the second round of the playoffs. Prior to last season, West Charlotte had produced only one winning season in eight years.
According to the source, a West Charlotte player moved from Cabarrus County and played football for Greiner last season, and his eligibility is being investigated. Also, there is still concern over the player who caused the Lions to forfeit the 2021 games. That player missed 68 days of school and was allowed to graduate, the source said, and he used a business address of a Lions alumnus who had been close to the program.
There are questions over whether Greiner knew about the arrangement.
Hickory Ridge coach Jupiter Wilson said the player from Cabarrus County that transferred to West Charlotte played at his school, and that his mother works in CMS, which would allow him to legally play in the district. Wilson said the player was not recruited and that his brother will be a senior at Hickory Ridge this fall.
Parents left frustrated, confused
The past week has been frustrating and confusing for parents of football players at West Charlotte.
Jason and Elisha Wilson said they are still trying to figure out what’s going on. Their sons — 16-year-old J’Sean and 14-year-old Justin — will be starting linemen on the team this fall.
Jason Wilson said Greiner worked the team out last Tuesday, July 26, but practice on July 27 was canceled. Greiner has not been back since. Darius Robinson, a coordinator at Garinger and teacher at West Charlotte, has been filling in for Greiner.
“I was asking my sons about it and they couldn’t give me any information,” Jason Wilson said. “They just said (CMS officials) were asking them questions about how (Greiner) was treating them. They were answering the questions and had no problem with him. He was a good dude. I don’t know what they’re trying to come up with, but my sons say there is no problem. I didn’t have any problems about anything like neglecting water or mistreating kids.”
Elisha Wilson said she felt some coaches or people who had been dismissed from the team or asked not to be around the team were behind this.
“There are some other things going on,” she said, “and we see it as retaliatory. Coaches got dismissed and all of sudden Greiner is under investigation for how he treated kids on the field....Everyone is upset because (CMS) is not forthcoming on what’s going on. They come out to ask questions and when they get asked return questions, there’s nothing. It’s just confusing and frustrating. At the end of the day, what has Sam Greiner done? He hasn’t done anything wrong, but brought his organization up from where it was. Now it seems like politics are in play. Now they’re trying to drag him down.
“We’re confident he’ll remain as coach...He’s built a strong team and now it seems like somebody is trying to come in and taint it.”
Tomika Rivers is the parent of 6-foot-6, 270-pound senior Darion Rivers, who recently committed to N.C. State. She has heard about the investigation, and said she hopes it ends soon — with Greiner returning to the team.
“I absolutely love coach Greiner,” she said, “and I think he’s the greatest coach I’ve come across and I have three boys and a girl and all my children have been in sports since Pop Warner. He’s very different. He’s very passionate, but other passionate coaches curse at kids. When I watch coach Greiner he’s aggressive and knows what he wants from them, but he also sees what they’re capable of. He pushes them but also shows them love and dedication.”
Rivers said her younger son, 15-year-old Demetrius, was impressed enough with Greiner that he started playing football this year, too. And Rivers said she knows that her sons and their teammates were getting enough rest and adequate water breaks during practice.
“I would be out there walking every morning,” she said. “I knew they gave them water because I’m watching the whole practice. I know because every time they took a break, I took a break.”
Until CMS completes its investigation, Greiner will likely remain away from the team, and the players and parents are left to wonder who will be coaching West Charlotte when it opens up on the road against three-time state champion Butler on Aug, 19.
West Charlotte field woes
For the second straight season, West Charlotte will not have a home football game — despite having a renovated football stadium with a new field house.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson told The Observer that the school’s parking lot will not be completed in time for the season. That means that West Charlotte — which will open a brand new school building this fall and has businesses with ample parking nearby — will play all of its home games at crosstown Waddell High.
Waddell is a 20-minute drive from West Charlotte’s campus.
“The field is ready to go,” Elisha Wilson said. “Why can’t the boys play there? There’s nothing like playing on your home field, and that’s where team spirit comes from.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 7:02 PM.
