Warren County Superintendent of Schools Carole Jean Carey was on hand in Sparta last Friday night when a Hancock Central player assaulted Warren County head coach David Daniel, sending the Screaming Devils coach to the hospital. According to Carey, she was walking back to the locker room with Daniel when the fracas started. “We saw helmets go up and he (Daniel) took off with the offensive coordinator.”

Carey said that she and Daniel were 30-40 feet away from the players when the melee broke out initially. The Warren County locker room was locked, according to Carey, and the team was standing outside the doors when a Hancock Central player initially smacked a Warren County player. Carey was putting equipment on the truck when she saw Daniel get struck. Daniel was taken to University Hospital before he was transferred and eventually released on Monday, according to Carey.

Assistant coach Jim Turner has been serving as acting head coach but Daniel is still involved in the team’s game plan. “He was breaking down film last night and he’s leading from afar right now,” said Carey. “He might be in the press box (for the upcoming game), but right now we just don’t know. It’s too early to tell.”

As far as the investigation, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department denied Carey’s request for GBI involvement, but that hasn’t deterred the Warren County Schools Superintendent. “I am working through the board attorney to petition the DA or the Attorney General to get the Bureau’s involvement.” Carey said that there are different faucets to the case, more than just the assault on Daniel. “A lot of things are going on. A few other things happened.” Carey did not wish to comment on the other incidents until after the investigation but she is looking out for Coach Daniel. “We need to hold the person accountable that did this to Coach Daniel.”

Fletcher Proctor is Assistant Managing Director at Score Atlanta, a full service Atlanta-based sports marketing company and media partner with GPB Sports.

Tags: GHSA, Warren County, high school football, Hancock Central