Longtime Shelton High School football coach Mark Smith resigned amid a storm of controversy after an unsanctioned drill he conducted sent several students to the infirmary with serious injuries. According to the reports by King 5, the drill, which took place on January 31 in a wrestling room during a weightlifting class, involved tackles without protective gear.

One of the injured, Shelton High School football player Masyn Gard, recalled the increasingly aggressive nature of the drill, expressing his apprehension to King 5: "I was trusting my coach and as it kept going it got worse and worse and more aggressive and I thought it was unsafe." His brother, Marshall Gard, suffered a dislocated finger in the incident, telling King 5, "I saw someone get their head slammed into a wall, and then after that my finger got dislocated. The doctor told me the bones were shaved together and it could not work the same for the rest of my life."

At the heart of the controversy, 15-year-old Jackson Leth sustained a concussion from the drill. Leth shared the harrowing experience, saying, "I was running to the other wall and got off a tackle from another kid and another kid grabbed from the back and picked me over his head and slammed me on my head," in a statement obtained by King 5. Smith, who had coached at Shelton for 25 years, saw his resignation accepted by the school board on Tuesday, as they began the process of searching for a new coach.

Following a disappointing 3-6 season in 2023, Shelton High's football program now faces the challenge of rebuilding both its reputation and staff. The aftermath of these events raises serious questions about the safety protocols and oversight of student-athletes during sports practices. The full scope of the changes expected in the wake of the scandal remains to be seen, and the community eagerly awaits the outcome of the school district's investigation, as reported by USA Today High School Sports.