What was supposed to be the first high school football game for a 14-year-old Splendora drill team member turned into a night her family says they’ll never forget.
Leah Head, a freshman, and her mother, Jamie, say a Cleveland coach hurled insults, called players to surround her, and left her in tears. Video obtained by KPRC 2 shows part of the confrontation on the field before kickoff.
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“He told us to move; the field wasn’t for girls”
Leah says her drill team was lined up in formation for the school’s traditional “victory line.” The football players were in the tunnel, waiting to run out.
She says a Cleveland coach walked toward her and told her to move. When she shook her head no, she says the confrontation escalated.
“He said that we’re ugly, we’re fat, we are s****, b*****. He told us to get the f*** out of his field,” Leah said. “Then he told the football team to come over and say the same things to us.”
According to Leah, the coach got close to her face and made hand gestures as he yelled. She says he even threatened her directly.
“He told me he was going to throw a football at my head, and if I got injured it was my fault and not his,” Leah recalled.
“The whole football team surrounded me”
Moments later, Leah says the players joined in.
“The whole football team surrounded me,” she said. “They were screaming, pretty much dancing around me. I was scared and didn’t know what to do.”
Leah says her twin sister, who was also on the drill team, started crying when she saw what was happening. Other teammates tried to comfort one another as the players shouted.
“I wanted them to get away from me, but I didn’t want to say anything,” Leah said.
Running to her mother for help
Terrified, Leah says she ran to her mother in the stands minutes later, crying and shaking. Jamie says she immediately saw something was wrong.
“She was all red. She was shaking. She was crying. She was terrified,” Jamie said. “Hurt, angry, sad for my child… to see a coach — an adult — target a 14-year-old girl is atrocious.”
Jamie says several drill team members were also crying. A coach sent them to the bus to calm down and get water before the game began.
Mother says Cleveland staff dismissed her complaint
Jamie says she then tried to report what happened. She spoke to a uniformed security guard, who radioed the district’s head of athletics.
“He listened to what I had to say and then really just blew me off,” Jamie said. “He told me there was no harassment going on. I asked if I could leave my information to follow up on the investigation. He told me no.”
Jamie says she later saw videos posted online that confirmed what her daughter described — a coach in Leah’s face, waving his hands, before players surrounded her.
“When I saw the video, it was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Jamie said. “Grief, anger, sadness, concern.”
Splendora and Cleveland ISD respond
Jamie says Splendora ISD administrators responded quickly when she reached out after the game.
“They told me if those coaches were their staff, they would have been fired. They reported it to UIL. They reached out to us personally, told Leah she was brave, that she stood her ground, and that they were proud of her,” Jamie said.
But she says Cleveland ISD has given her little information.
“I emailed their superintendent. He got back to me with a general ‘we’re taking it seriously.’ But there’s been no follow-up. No names. No answers.”
In a statement to KPRC 2, Splendora ISD confirmed staff were on site, families have been supported, and safety procedures are under review. Cleveland ISD said an investigation was completed and “actionable steps” were taken, but the district has not released details, the coach’s name, or confirmed whether the coach is still employed.
Calls for accountability
Jamie says accountability means removing the coach and addressing what she calls dangerous behavior.
“I think he’s a coward,” Jamie said. “To intimidate and terrify a child like that, to incite a mob of football players around her — it’s despicable and should not be tolerated.”
She also says players need to be educated. “Somebody should come in and explain to them that this was wrong, because the coach told those boys that she’s a girl, she doesn’t matter, her space is worthless.”
The lasting impact on Leah
Leah says the incident has left her nervous every time she performs.
“For the last game, I was kind of scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said. “Now I’m scared during victory lines.”
Asked what she would say to the coach today, Leah answered: “I would tell him what he did was wrong and he should be ashamed.”
Both districts say student safety is their top priority. But Leah and her mother say words are not enough — they want action.