An on-field fight lead to a Montgomery County, Maryland, high school football coach being fired; now he’s been hired in another county. Travis Hawkins posted a video on Twitter announcing he is the new defensive coordinator at Dr. Henry Wise Jr. High School in Prince George’s County. In the tweet, he said “some say I made a Wise decision” in joining the Pumas.
New Colors/Same Impact. Let’s work‼️Some say I made a Wise Decision. Appreciate the opportunity @DaLawnParrish & @CoachRapp_O 🏆
S/O @MichaelAtunrase 📽️ pic.twitter.com/wNYQJ5Cr9v — Travis Hawkins (@1HawkIsland) February 3, 2023
Montgomery County schools fired Hawkins in October after a bench-clearing fight between his players from Northwest High School and players from Gaithersburg High school. The on-field altercation — parts of which were recorded and posted on social media — led to multiple fights between fans breaking out, according to Gaithersburg police. Hawkins was charged with assault, but the charge was later dropped. Prior to his firing, he told WTOP’s news partner NBC Washington, “I want to apologize to my school, I want to apologize to my community, I want to apologize to the [administration].” Almost 5,000 people signed a petition urging Montgomery County to reinstate Hawkins. He thanked Wise for the opportunity to coach high school football again in his tweet. The Pumas finished the 2022 season with an 11-2 record, losing in the 4A state semifinals against Charles H. Flowers.