Buddy Stephens has been removed as head coach from East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) after 18 seasons, the school announced Monday night. The decision comes after Stephens publicly criticized leaders of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) as “idiots” in an interview with The Commercial Dispatch regarding changes to the conference’s season structure and playoff format.
Offensive coordinator Preston Rice has been named interim head coach, effective immediately. The school’s announcement did not directly mention Stephens but stated that the remarks published in the article were inconsistent with the college’s core values and standards of professionalism, respect, and civility.
"These comments are inconsistent with the college’s core values and standards of professionalism, respect, and civility and do not reflect the views, mission, or expectations of EMCC," EMCC President Scott Alsobrooks said in a statement released via the school's Facebook page. "While the college supports open and constructive dialogue, personal attacks have no place in that discourse and are contrary to the standards we uphold within our college community."
The MACCC recently adjusted its format to increase the regular season from nine to 10 games, ensuring each team five home and five away games. Additionally, the number of playoff teams was reduced from four to two. Previously, the top two teams from the North and South divisions advanced to the playoffs. The new format pits the top seeds from each division against each other for the conference title.
Stephens, who led EMCC to five national junior college championships and was a prominent figure in the early seasons of Netflix’s documentary series “Last Chance U,” told The Commercial Dispatch that he believed the format change was driven by a desire from school presidents to avoid travel expenses for national playoff games. He described the decision-making process as "junkified" and lacking in thoughtful consideration, particularly given that it was developed by individuals with doctorates.
"We wouldn’t have won two national championships because we were the second-place team in the North. It’s not a very well thought-out process," Stephens stated to the publication. "It was really ‘junkified,’ the way they decided they were going to do it and there wasn’t a lot of real thought. I was very surprised at how it came out because there were actual people who have doctorates that came up with this."
“Last Chance U” focused on community college football programs that provided opportunities for players seeking to improve their lives. The series later moved to Independence Community College in Kansas for seasons three and four, and concluded with Laney College in Oakland for its fifth season. A basketball spin-off of the series also aired for two seasons.