Framingham Youth Football Chief Jason Smith Resigns

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The leader of Framingham Youth Football, Jason Smith, resigned from his position on Wednesday, according to a letter sent to parents. The resignation comes several weeks after a scandal involving racist texts traded among coaches rocked the league and the city.

Smith stepped down temporarily from the youth football league on Nov. 7, but calls for him to leave permanently began pouring in. On Nov. 8, Councilor-elect Cesar Stewart-Morales asked for Smith to be fired, saying that Smith knew about racist exchanges since 2018.

Last week, NAACP South Middlesex President William Robinson demanded Smith's firing.

"There is clearly a diseased growth in FYFC, which was cut away with the firing of three coaches. However, disease remains in the body, and our children remain at risk. Jason Smith must be fired as part of the eradication," Robinson said in a letter to the organization.

The racist texts, which included use of the N-word, surfaced on Nov. 6. Smith fired three coaches who exchanged them that same day after the messages were leaked to local media.

Smith had served as president of the league over the last three years. He was a longtime Framingham Selectman up until the transition to a city in 2017.