Football Coach’s Future Uncertain At Cheshire High School

CHESHIRE, CT — Around 100 people showed up Monday morning outside the Cheshire Board of Education offices in support of Don Drust after hearing the popular football coach’s job may be in jeopardy, according to multiple reports.

GameTimeCT.com, citing sources, reports the issue at hand is related to a clerical issue involving paperwork believed to be Drust’s coaching certification that has since been resolved.

An assistant football coach told FOX 61 that Drust has a receipt from paying for a coaching certification class back in 2013 and that whatever the issue was, it was resolved four years later.

Many of the supporters that showed up Monday were current or former players for Drust or his wife, Kristine Botto-Drust, who is Cheshire High School’s softball coach, according to GameTimeCT.

Don Drust addressed the crowd of supporters after his meeting with the school district’s administrators. He said their support was “humbling beyond words.”

“I’m at a loss for words because I can’t express how fortunate I am and how much I appreciate who you are and what you do for me,” Drust said, according to a video posted by Botto-Drust on Twitter.

“I’m going to fight for my family and I’m going to continue to fight for my family,” Drust said. “As of today, it’s ongoing. The fight continues and it’s ongoing. And the one thing I’ll tell you, I’ll give you my word, I won’t stop doing that. I will fight for what I believe is right. I will fight for my family and I will fight for you. And what is right for you, because that’s what is most important.”

Drust has been Cheshire’s head football coach since 2012 and was hired as an assistant coach in 2007. He was named the 2019 National Football Foundation New Haven Chapter Coach of the Year.

Administrators wouldn’t comment on the issue, saying it was a personnel matter.

Read more at GameTimeCT.com here and FOX 61 here.