Long Beach Unified School District announces dismissal of three Poly football coaches

A spokesman for the Long Beach Unified School District announced on Wednesday that it has completed an internal investigation regarding seven athletes who had violated CIF rule 202, which states all transfers must file accurate paperwork, and imposed punishment on three football coaches involved with transfers, including removing head coach Justin Utupo.

In a media release, the district stated that Poly’s walk-on head coach has been released and won’t be allowed to coach in the district. One assistant coach who resigned is also barred from coaching. Another assistant has been relieved from all coaching duties and transferred to another location to be a campus staff assistant. The district said it concluded “three coaches engaged in unethical conduct inconsistent with CIF eligibility rules.”

Utupo said he resigned Wednesday morning after meeting with his players and was unaware of the district announcement.

Utupo came from Lakewood this season to be head coach for a Long Beach Poly program that has won 20 CIF titles. After a 5-5 season, the school announced it would not allow the team to be part of the Southern Section playoffs.

Going forward, the district said it will review all athletic programs in its district to ensure “protocols, training and expectations are clearly understood and consistently applied.” The district is also waiting to see if the Southern Section has any additional sanctions. Seven Poly athletes are listed in the Southern Section transfer portal as having been denied eligibility for two years for violating bylaw 202.