Fresno Unified School District has paused Hoover High School’s junior varsity football program and placed four coaches and a trainer on administrative leave while it reviews a practice-related injury that sent a student to the hospital.

The district said Friday that the JV football program was paused effective immediately “out of an abundance of caution for player safety” while officials conduct a review of the incident.

Earlier this week, a Hoover High junior varsity football player was injured during practice and transported by ambulance to a hospital, where he received medical care, according to the district.

Fresno police confirmed that officers responded to a medical aid call involving a student on Tuesday and that the student was transported for treatment.

Fresno Unified said district and school staff remain in contact with the student’s family and are coordinating academic support while he recovers.

Coaches, Trainer Placed on Leave

Four coaches and a trainer have been placed on administrative leave until the district’s review is completed.

Fresno Unified said placing faculty involved in a serious school-activity injury on leave is part of its standard protocol while an incident is reviewed.

“Administrative leave is a routine, precautionary step the district takes whenever an incident like this is under review; it is standard practice, not a finding of wrongdoing or a reflection on the individuals involved,” the district said.

The district said it would not release additional information about the employees or their leave because it is a personnel matter.

The JV football program will remain paused during the review. Hoover’s varsity football program is not affected.

Fresno Unified said it would not disclose the nature or extent of the student’s injury.

GV Wire first requested a statement from Fresno Unified at 9:25 a.m. Friday. The district did not provide GV Wire with a response before distributing a statement to local media outlets at the time of publication.

The incident comes about six months after a Fresno High School student died following a medical emergency during a physical education class.

Daniel Padilla Jr., 14, collapsed while playing basketball on March 9 and later died at a hospital, according to Fresno Unified and the Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.

Fresno Unified says that Padilla was immediately attended to after the medical emergency.

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