North Texas high school football team apologizes to Florida team for pregame handshake incident
A North Texas high school football team is apologizing after members refused to shake hands with an opposing team at the start of a nationally televised game.
Video of the game shared on X shows the DeSoto Eagles meeting the St. Thomas Aquinas High School team from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at the 50-yard line Saturday, Aug. 29. Players from St. Thomas Aquinas extend their hands, but the DeSoto players do not return the gesture.
On Monday, DeSoto football shared a statement on X, apologizing for the behavior.
"DeSoto Football has addressed the incident that occurred at the St. Thomas Aquinas football game. We view this as an opportunity for our young men to learn and grow from their mistakes. We would like to formally apologize to the St. Thomas Aquinas community, coaching staff, and football team for what occurred," the statement reads. "We take full responsibility for the conduct of our players and are committed to ensuring our student-athletes uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that our program and community expect. Best of luck for the remainder of the season to St. Thomas Aquinas, and thank you for your understanding on this matter."
St. Thomas Aquinas Athletic Director Twan Russell said DeSoto head coach Claude Mathis also apologized to him personally and that there is no bad blood between the programs.
Russell said he views the incident as a learning experience for everyone.
"Everyone is making a big deal out of it, you know, they got to understand, these are kids," Russell said. "Kids make mistakes, and they're being very Hard on a really good team."
Russell also cautioned against judging the players too harshly.
"As adults, we have to be very careful on how we judge people, because if we look in the mirror long enough, you're going to know you're going to make a mistake as well," Russell said.
St. Thomas Aquinas won the game 38-14.
DeSoto, led by Mathis, is a four-time state champion.
St. Thomas Aquinas has won 17 state championships, including seven consecutive titles under current head coach Roger Harriott.