Suspended West Charlotte football coach learns fate just four days before the season
West Charlotte High football coach Sam Greiner is returning to his job.
On Monday, Greiner said he met with new West Charlotte principal Orlando Robinson and West Learning Community Superintendent Acquanetta Edmond, and ran his first practice since July later that day.
“After meeting with them and going over expectations moving forward, I’m extremely excited to be back with West Charlotte,” Greiner said, “and I’m extremely proud of all the hard work that (interim) coach (Darius Robinson) did. In my absence, he did a phenomenal job of leading those young men. And to my assistant coaches and our parents and athletes, who never lost hope, I appreciate them. It’s good to be back but it’s time to get to work. Butler’s a tough opponent.”
Greiner, 40, graduated from Butler in 2000. He will start his third season at West Charlotte on Friday, having led the Lions to a second round playoff berth last season.
Greiner, who is a co-host on The Observer’s “Talking Preps” streaming TV show, has been away from the Lions since July 26. He was suspended while CMS investigated him for alleged recruiting violations and treatment of players, according to an independent source close to the Lions program.
West Charlotte finished 7-4 in the 2021 season but had to forfeit its games because of an ineligible player. Prior to last season, West Charlotte had produced one winning season in eight years.
The source said these latest allegations, which came from a former booster and at least one other former assistant coach, included Greiner recruiting at least one player outside the district; a player eligibility issue that led to West Charlotte having to forfeit all of its games last year; and Greiner not giving water breaks — or rest periods in general — during summer workouts.
Hickory Ridge coach Jupiter Wilson said that a player from his school did move to West Charlotte, adding that the players’ mother works for CMS, which would make the player eligible under district rules. Wilson said that player was not recruited and that his brother plays for Hickory Ridge now.
Parents also came to Greiner’s defense, signing a petition that they took to the CMS central office. A source said the West Charlotte are planning a meet-and-greet session with the football staff Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on campus.
Elisha Wilson, who has two kids on the team, told The Observer earlier this month that she felt that some coaches or people who had been dismissed from the team or asked not to be around it were behind the allegations.
“There’s some other things going on,” she said, “and we see it as retaliatory. Coaches got dismissed and all of a sudden, Greiner is under investigation for how he treated kids on the field.....He hasn’t done anything wrong, but brought his organization up from where it was.”
Tomika Rivers, another Lions parent, said she often attended summer practices and walked the track while the team practiced. She said she saw frequent breaks and water breaks.
“I absolutely love coach Greiner,” she told The Observer earlier this month, “and I think he’s the greatest coach I’ve come across....He pushes them, but also shows them love and dedication.”
This story was originally published August 15, 2022 at 9:30 PM.
