Gainesville Football Coach Placed on Administrative Leave

It was a sea of purple and white during the Gainesville and Eastside high school football game Friday night at Citizens Field. However, there was a notable coach missing from the GHS sideline. 

First-year GHS coach Ashour Peera was placed on administrative leave by the Alachua County Public Schools Human Resources. The news broke just hours before kickoff. 

As of Friday night, neither Alachua County Public Schools nor the GHS athletic department have publicly disclosed why Peera was placed on leave. It is also unclear if or when Peera would return to the field. 

Defensive coordinator Ray Smith was named the interim coach by GHS athletic director Phillip Knight and he helped the Hurricanes (2-3) snap a four-game losing streak against Eastside with a 24-10 win.

“Coach Peera brought him in and we just thought he would be the best bet for tonight,” Knight said Friday. 

Peera earned his first win last Friday against Lecanto. He previously served as the Director of Football Logistics/NFL Liaison at the University of Florida from 2021-2025 under then-coach Billy Napier. Peera, 48, was hired in June to replace Ian Scott, who stepped down in May.

This is Peera’s first head coaching job in Florida in more than a decade after spending nine years working at the collegiate level. He previously served as the head football coach at Clermont East Ridge High School from 2014-2017.

He also has had assistant coaching jobs at Miami Northwestern, Groveland South Lake and Ocala schools Forest and Vanguard.

Peera advocated last month for a GHS player who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Aug. 22 and taken to a detention center with his mother. They were later released.

The players learned Friday morning that Peera would not be coaching that night’s game. Although shocking to hear, Knight mentioned how the players understood the situation and knew that playing against Eastside was the most important part.

“I might be the happiest man in Alachua County right now,” Smith said. “I’m good as long as my guys are happy, my administration is happy and everybody’s got a smile on their face.”

Though Peera was absent from the game, his traditions still continued as all the GHS players gathered in a circle known as the “my brother’s keeper” to cap their rivalry win.

Category: Gainesville High School, High School Sports