Weston's Cypress Bay High football coach, Mark Guandolo, has been suspended for two weeks for slapping quarterback Lucas Tellefsen on the helmet during a game Sunday.
According to a Broward schools statement, Guandolo has been suspended from work for three days and two weeks from athletic activities.
ESPN cameras picked up Guandolo hitting his QB's helmet during the second quarter of a game against American Heritage.
The footage shows Guandolo verbally chastising Tellefsen after a tough play, then aggressively slapping the high school senior quarterback on the side of the helmet. Video of the slap went viral (it has since been removed from YouTube).
According to the Sun Sentinel, Tellefsen's family spoke with Guandolo and has since cleared the air.
"It's a nonissue," Eric Tellefsen said. "We're 110 percent fine with this. We don't want anything to happen to Coach G. He means the world to the school and this football team, and he wants nothing but the best for these kids. It's an unfortunate circumstance."
Guandolo, who said he regretted his actions, told the media that he also spoke with the player and that neither he nor the family are upset over the incident.
Guandolo, who also serves as Cypress Bay's P.E. teacher, has been coaching high school football in South Florida for more than 30 years. In 2012, he became the first coach in Florida history to lead three different schools to the state championship game -- Southridge in 1999; Chaminade in 2002, '03, '05; and Cypress Bay 2012.
"This is my life," Guandolo said in a statement. "I put 30 years of everything I have into kids today and trying to help them be better people, and you hate for something like this to put a damper on all that. I'm sick about it."
Cypress Bay lost the game 38-14.
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