Florida coach suspended for NIL payment from student: 5 things to know

Here are five things to know about the story:

Probe finds football coach paid by student-athlete for NIL deal

The Palm Beach County School District's Office of Inspector General found that Clavijo acted as an unlicensed athletic agent and was paid at least $5,000 by a student-athlete as part of NIL contract negotiations.

The district's IG office found that Clavijo III "exploited his relationship with the student athlete" by engaging in and financially benefitting from NIL contract negotiations for a student that he both coached and taught at Santaluces High School.

Documents from the investigation show that a student-athlete sent a bank transfer of $5,000 and a Zelle transfer of $2,000 to Clavijo III.

Payment violated variety of bylaws

Clavijo's payment violated numerous Florida statutes, Palm Beach County School District policies and FHSAA bylaws.

Santaluces head coach Hector Clavijo during a 2023 game against Pahokee.

The investigation states that Clavijo III appeared to think his misconduct arose from failure to execute a written contract rather than the financial benefits he received from the student-athlete.

Clavijo III told the Office of Inspector General in his interview that he "messed up by, I don't know, being too nice."

FHSAA hands down harsher punishment

Clavijo initially received a written reprimand from the Palm Beach County School District as a result of the IG probe.

The school did not self-report any violations to the FHSAA, which ultimately determined that harsher penalties were warranted. These penalties include:

• A one-year coaching suspension for Hector Clavijo.
• A $5,000 financial penalty against Clavijo.
• A $2,000 financial penalty for the school.
• The Santaluces athletic program - not just football - has been placed on probation through April 2027.

Who is Hector Clavijo III?

Hector Clavijo III is a high school football coach who was hired by Santaluces in December 2021.

It was a splash hire for an otherwise middling high school football program. Clavijo previously led Champagnat Catholic to back-to-back FHSAA state titles in 2019 and 2020. He additionally reached the title game in 2018 and 2021 with the now-closed Hialeah private school.

Clavijo III came in with big promises of putting Palm Beach County "on the map," and he started his tenure by turning a one-win program into a district championship team. Santaluces is 30-14 in four seasons under Clavijo III.

What's next?

Assistant coach Samuel Putmon has been named the interim coach for the spring season and will act as head coach for the team's spring jamboree on May 14.

Clavijo told The Post on Monday that he plans to plead his case.

"My legal team, myself, and the school will be appealing this decision," Clavijo said.

Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida high school football coach suspended over student NIL payment