Suspended Coach to Enter Drug Clinic, Attorney Says

Laguna Beach High School football coach Cedrick Hardman, suspended by the school board after being arrested and charged with cocaine possession, will check into an inpatient drug clinic, his attorney said Wednesday.

Hardman, a former National Football League All-Pro defensive end, was allowed to talk to his team, which he had guided to a 2-0 record so far this season, for 15 minutes Wednesday morning before leaving the schoolgrounds.

Stopped on Speeding Count

Laguna Beach police stopped Hardman, 37, who ended his 12-year pro career with the Oakland Raiders in 1981, for allegedly speeding on Laguna Canyon Road early Saturday. Only hours earlier, his team, the Artists, had posted a 21-14 victory over La Serna.

While Hardman searched a briefcase for his driver’s license, Deputy Police Chief Jim Spreine said, officers noticed a small bag containing white powder, which, police now say, turned out to be cocaine.

Spreine said the officers also found two small bindles containing another gram of the drug in the briefcase. Hardman was charged with felony possession of cocaine and resisting arrest. He was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to appear Oct. 10 for arraignment in South Orange County Municipal Court.

Tuesday night, Hardman petitioned the Laguna Beach Unified School District’s five-member Board of Education to allow him to continue coaching while he seeks to enter a drug diversion program. He also volunteered to undergo drug testing and said he would talk to students about the dangers of drugs. But the board ordered him suspended without pay, at least until his court case is closed.

“After the matter is resolved, the board will meet within 10 days to reconsider,” schools Supt. Dennis M. Smith said.

Board President Carl E. Schwarz said the panel had little choice.

“It was a decision we had to make,” Schwarz said. “We couldn’t send out mixed signals to the community on drugs. We had to be decisive and say that we will not tolerate this. But it was a very tough decision.”

Reinstatement Possible

The school board president said that if Hardman can successfully overcome whatever problem he has and legally clear his name, the board would consider reinstating him.

“That’s the reason for the suspension, instead of a dismissal,” Schwarz said. “We could have canned him.”

Wednesday morning, Hardman was allowed to talk to the team alone for 15 minutes.

“That will be his last contact on campus with our kids until the matter is resolved,” Smith said.

Hardman’s attorney, Ronald P. Kreber, said Hardman was depressed about his legal problems and the suspension.

‘Impassioned Plea’

“He made a very impassioned plea (to the board),” Kreber said. “He has to coach--he knows that. But I understand the board’s decision.”

The attorney said Hardman, who has refused to talk to the news media, would enter an inpatient drug clinic. But Kreber said Hardman was not addicted to drugs.

“Since he will have this time, we’re going to take the time to put him into a program right away . . . today,” Kreber said. “He’s just an occasional user. We don’t believe he is addicted in any way. We’re taking this time to assure him and assure ourselves that we are on the right track.”

When he appears in court, Kreber said, Hardman will ask to be placed in a drug education program instead of face prosecution. If he can successfully complete a drug program, the attorney said, charges could be dropped.

Team Members Shielded

David Wheeler, principal and athletic director of the high school, did not allow members of the team to discuss the situation with reporters. He kept members of the team out of their first two classes Wednesday morning and later talked to them privately in his office.

“We have to restrict that,” Wheeler said of reporters’ requests to talk with the team members. “We have a responsibility to the kids and their parents that they are not disturbed at school.”

Wheeler, who named assistant coach Lloyd Cotton to be interim head coach, said he was unaware that Hardman might have had a problem with drugs.

“There was no indication of a problem before this,” he said. “We hope that we can do positive things for Cedrick by standing by him and giving him his day in court.”

Reaction Cited

Cotton, who has been serving as defensive line coach, said the team was saddened by Hardman’s departure.

“We’ve been talking for a while, just trying to alleviate their fears. He was a very popular guy, and they took it very seriously,” the interim coach said.

Cotton also said he and the team would continue to support Hardman.

“Those allegations didn’t change any of the things he was trying to instill in the kids as far as philosophy of life,” he said. “He really emphasized things like grades, going to class and not being a nuisance.”

The cocaine incident is not the first time Hardman has been in trouble with the law since moving to Laguna Beach in 1984. In March, 1985, he was stopped and cited for driving with a suspended driver’s license and charged with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana.

Action Declined

At that time, the school board declined to take any disciplinary action against him.

Hardman, who was an NFL All-Pro defensive end in 1971 and 1975 with the San Francisco 49ers, served as defensive coach for the Laguna Beach High School team in 1984 before being named to replace head coach Dennis Haryung, who resigned.

Last season, Hardman led the Artists to a 3-7 record. But three of the losses were forfeits due to a clerical error that allowed an ineligible player to participate in those games. This season, expectations were high as the team jumped to a 2-0 start.

Mike Mahoney, a Booster Club member whose son is the team’s center, was emotional about Hardman’s arrest and suspension.

“We’re hurt and disappointed,” he said. “He was a great coach. He was super with the kids.”

Problems Unknown

Mahoney said the community did not know Hardman had any problems with drugs.

“If we had been aware of it, we could have done something to help him. This is a rich community--we could have helped,” he said.

Although Mahoney said he did not know if Hardman “could coach again at Laguna,” he indicated that he hoped the team would learn from the coach’s mistake.

“We’re trying to turn this thing into something positive for the kids,” he said.

Times staff writer Steve Kersal contributed to this story.