GREENWOOD, Ind.— The school districts of Center Grove and Warren Central are speaking out after comments made about Warren Central students and football players on a podcast sparked controversy ahead of Friday night’s regional matchup.
The comments appeared on an episode of “Inside Center Grove Football,” a YouTube podcast that is not affiliated with Center Grove Community School Corp. or its football program.
The podcast hosts questioned the ages of Warren Central football players, suggesting the team had multiple players who were 20 or 21 years old. In a separate clip, the hosts also made disparaging comments about Warren Central students’ reading abilities.
Both school districts released a joint statement Wednesday condemning the comments and distancing Center Grove from the podcast.
“Today we became aware of disparaging and unacceptable comments that were made about Warren Central High School during a podcast called Inside Center Grove Football,” the statement said.
The districts emphasized that neither the podcast nor its hosts are affiliated with Center Grove Community School Corp. The hosts are not district employees, and their views do not represent the school corporation.
The statement also said both districts share disappointment and frustration over the comments and the harm they caused their school communities.
The podcast episode was removed, and the hosts issued a public apology at the request of both school districts.
Jeff Paxson, one of the podcast hosts, released a separate video Thursday addressing the controversy and apologizing for his comments.
“This week I made some comments I wish I hadn’t,” Paxson said. “They were strictly in the spirit of a rivalry and trash talk. I absolutely respect Warren Central and their program and I’m really sorry to anyone that I offended.”
Paxson said he takes back his comments and has removed the video.
“I’m sorry to be a distraction and sorry to force people to have to use resources in this matter,” he said.
The controversy comes two days before Center Grove visits Warren Central for the IHSAA Class 6A regional championship Friday night.
The Warriors won the first meeting between the teams this season, beating Center Grove 20-14 on Aug. 21.
The schools have a long history of competing against each other, with Warren Central holding a 22-18 advantage in the all-time series. The programs have combined for 12 state championships since 2003.
In their joint statement, both districts said their focus moving forward is on providing a safe, student-centered environment for Friday night’s game at Warren Central.
