Steve LaPrad breaks silence after resigning from Ft. Dorchester

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - For the first time since resigning as the head football coach at Ft. Dorchester on Wednesday, then resigning as the school’s athletic director on Thursday, Steve LaPrad has broken his silence.

In a 25-minute video released by LG Alliance Productions, the company that handles the teams’ videos, LaPrad mentions that a recording was taken of him in the team locker room speaking to his players when some of them were talking about transferring to another high school in the district. In response, LaPrad noted that he said some “unkind things, things I probably shouldn’t have said. I used profanity, if my mom was still alive she probably would have washed my mouth out with soap. I probably would have deserved it.”

The former coach said he was trying to explain to the team that they should stay together and not let anything break them apart.

LaPrad spends a majority of the video that was released Friday thanking people from the start of his career at Summerville High School through his time at Fort Dorchester including his former players, assistant coaches and his family.

“I do take pride in the good dads that have come out of my program. The doctors, the lawyers, the guys I see on the street, that’s what I do is all about,” he said. “I guess the good thing for me is I didn’t break any laws, I’ve never taken money...that part for me, I can be at ease knowing I’m ok as I go into another chapter in my life. If I did it over again, I don’t know how much I would change.”

The coach ended the video saying, “It’s always been about my kids, it’ll always be about my kids. Those players are my kids, that passion will never change. I’ll always fight to the end for them and I’ll always fight to the end to keep them. With that being said, goodbye.”

LaPrad resigned after 20 years as the head football coach on Wednesday. He won more than 170 games in his tenure and a state title in 2015. He led the Patriots to the state title game in 5-A this past season.

Dorchester County District 2 officially listed the job openings for head football coach and athletic director, now separate positions, on their website on Friday.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.