A Broward County high school assistant football coach with a history of violence against students was arrested and charged after he allegedly instigated a brawl and hit three players at practice.
Per WPLG Local 10, the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Jamir Clarke, was an assistant football coach at Blanche Ely High School. The Monday incident is said to have happened at the school’s weightlifting room during practice, and Clarke is accused of getting into a verbal altercation before hitting three students.
The arrest report stated that Clarke allegedly told a student that he was a “b****” and punched the student’s face after he confirmed that he shared a negative social media post about Clarke’s associate.
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Clarke was subsequently “rushed” by other students after they surrounded him, deputies said, adding that he then began to throw punches at the students. Clarke is said to have hit three students, and a wall mirror was also damaged.
“He hit our football player first and then everybody just retaliated,” a student told the news outlet. “He just got surrounded by everybody and he just started throwing punches at everybody.”
A victim also informed police that though Clarke had the chance to calm tempers during the altercation, he rather exacerbated the issue by initially punching the student.
The report said that deputies who responded to the scene later found Clarke in a locker room where he was “sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and the lights off.” The locker room was initially locked, but the door was ultimately opened. Clarke was ultimately arrested on Tuesday.
Deputies stated in the arrest report that Clarke’s height is about 6 feet, 2 inches, while he weighs between 400 and 450 pounds, WPLG Local 10 reported.
“While he is arguing he acted in self-defense, he is a significant size, your honor, so there is a valid reason for the teammates of this victim to be of concern as Mr. Clarke presented a risk to them,” prosecutor Eric Linder told the court on Wednesday.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Broward County Public Schools released a statement saying that Clarke was “being reassigned.”
“The employee in question is being reassigned as we review the matter for further action, up to and including termination. We are deeply disturbed by this incident, as the safety and well-being of our students is our number one priority.”
In an email to parents, the school’s principal also said that Clarke will “no longer serve as an assistant football coach at our school – this was his only position on our campus.”
“Following Clarke’s arrest on Monday (9/22/25), Broward Schools Police was made aware of a video that showed him fighting with students in a bathroom at Monarch High School, where he was working as a campus monitor,” a BCPS spokesperson told WPLG Local 10 in a statement.
“That incident, which took place in early September, was not reported at the time. Clarke, who has been employed with BCPS since December 2024, is being reassigned while these incidents are reviewed for further action, up to and including termination. At all times, the safety and well-being of our students is our number one priority.”
Parent Shaka Williams described Clarke’s actions as “outrageous.” “The video I saw is him being the aggressor and it was terrible. I feel like as an adult, you should have a larger margin for patience for these kids because they can get mouthy, they can talk and say wild jokes, but I think putting your hands on a kid is never OK,” Williams added.
“I don’t think that should have happened at all. You should have more self-control,” Williams continued. “I didn’t know it was over two schools. That’s crazy.”
But a student stated that the incident “not surprising really, now that he has a history of it.”
Clarke has since been charged with four counts of child abuse without great bodily harm. He made his court appearance on Wednesday, and a judge set his bond at $30,000.
Per the conditions of his bond, Clarke must wear a GPS monitor and be on house arrest, while he also has to hand over any weapons or firearms. He must additionally not establish any contact with the victims linked to the case.
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