Getty Former Buccaneers quarterback Trent Dilfer apologized for his heated incident with a high school football player on Aug. 27.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Trent Dilfer came under fire recently over a viral video of him and the son of another former NFL player getting heated at a high school game.
Dilfer, the head coach of Lipscomb Academy, pushed and yelled at Mustangs senior Beau Dawson, the son of former NFL kicker Phil Dawson, on the sideline during an Aug. 27 game. The younger Dawson had been talking back, too, but further details of the incident haven’t been disclosed according to USA Today.
Trent Dilfer has transformed into the ultimate HS football coach
It didn’t impact the outcome of the game as Nashville, Tennessee, private school steamrolled Independence 62-7. Dilfer, who played for the Bucs from 1994 to 1999, apologized on social media for the incident in a statement released by the school on Aug. 28.
“First and foremost, I take full responsibility as the head coach and leader of our team for not deescalating an emotional situation with one of our players, Beau Dawson,” Dilfer wrote. “Beau is one of our finest student athletes and embodies all the characteristics we are looking for in our Mustang players.”
Dilfer Has Dawson’s Back
Dawson, who wears No. 4 for the team and appears in three of the photos with the statement, also took heat publicly for his interaction with Dilfer. The former Bucs signal caller, clarified that the responsibility falls on himself.
“During a moment of frustration and in an attempt to get our team to play with more discipline, I unfairly singled Beau out,” Dilfer wrote. “Somehow Beau Dawson has been portrayed publicly as the culprit in this situation, when in reality, I should have been a better leader and shown greater wisdom and discernment in how I handled the incident.”
“Beau plays the game with the right kind of passion and is an inspiration to our other players,” Dilfer wrote. “Overall, I could not be more proud of Beau and the rest of our team for how they handle the emotional nature of each game they compete in.”
A former first-round pick of the Bucs, Dilfer played in the NFL from 1994 to 2007 before getting into broadcasting and then coaching. He took over the head coach job at Lipscomb in 2019.
Dilfer Gets a Hand From Tom Brady
Current Bucs starting quarterback Tom Brady gave Dilfer a hand last season when Lipscomb reached the Tennessee Division II Class AA state championship game. Brady did the narration for the team’s hype video before the game.
“Both of us are not done writing our own story,” Brady said in the video.
Lipscomb’s 2020 story didn’t end with a state title in a 35-28 loss to Christ Presbyterian Academy. Dilfer has this year’s Mustangs off to a 2-0 start with blowout wins.
He and Brady cross paths numerous times in their careers. Dilfer played for the 2000 Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champion team followed by stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers. He also wore No. 12, like Brady, during his Bucs days.
As a broadcaster, Dilfer likewise crossed paths with Brady and made bold statements along the way. That included calling the New England Patriots dynasty dead prematurely and suggesting the Bucs stick with Jameis Winston before the Brady singing.
Dilfer changed his tune after the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV win. He talked about the impact of Brady’s seventh Super Bowl on The Rich Eisen Show in March.
Brady and the Bucs get to write the next chapter of their story, starting next week with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.