Long Beach Unified announces dismissal of 3 Poly football coaches
A spokesperson for the Long Beach Unified School District announced Wednesday that it had conducted an internal investigation into seven athletes who violated CIF Rule 202, which states that all transfers must file specific documentation, and imposed sanctions on the three football coaches involved in the transfers, including the firing of head coach Justin Utupo.
In a press release, the district said Poly’s head coach has been released and will not be allowed to coach in the district. An assistant coach who has resigned is also not permitted to coach. Another assistant was relieved of all coaching duties and transferred to another location to become a campus staff assistant.
Utupo came from Lakewood this season to be head coach of a Long Beach Poly program that won 20 CIF titles. After a 5-5 season, the school announced that it would not allow the team to participate in the Southern Section playoffs.
Moving forward, the district said it will review all of its district’s athletic programs to ensure “protocols, coaching and expectations are clearly understood and consistently applied.” The district is also waiting to see if the South Section will have additional sanctions. Seven Poly athletes are listed in the Southern Section transfer portal as having been denied eligibility for two years for violating Regulation 202.
