Stamford Football Head Coach Resigns Mid-Game After Incident With Players

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford High School football team was left without a head coach for the second half of their game last week following the resignation of Donny Panapada.

According to an email sent to football parents and players from SHS Principal Matthew Forker on Tuesday, Panapada "engaged in exchanges with our student athletes and demonstrated poor judgment" during the first half of the game at Fairfield Warde.

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"During this time, he announced his resignation as head coach to both his players and to our Athletic Director, Chris Passamano. Although Coach Panapada remained on-site for the second half, he did not resume his coaching responsibilities," Forker said.

The Black Knights trailed the Mustangs 30-0 at halftime and lost 42-14 on Oct. 23. Stamford is now 3-3 on the season.

The day after the game, Forker said Passamano met with Panapada, select players, and the coaching staff "to better understand the circumstances" surrounding the sudden resignation.

"Following those conversations, it became clear at that point there was not a viable path forward for Coach Panapada to rescind his resignation and resume his role as head coach," said Forker, who noted that he, too, met with Panapada on Monday.

During that conversation, Forker said, Panapada "acknowledged that he had demonstrated poor judgment and expressed remorse for his actions on Friday night."

Forker said that while he appreciated Panapada's "candor and honesty," the coach's actions "fell short" of the program's standards and expectations.

"Confrontational exchanges with student athletes during a game, in front of a large crowd of families from both schools, followed by an in-game announcement of his resignation and a decision not to resume coaching responsibilities, are inconsistent with the standards we expect from those entrusted to lead our student athletes," Forker said.

Both Passamano and Forker have received several emails and messages from families about the incident.

"It is clear that Coach Panapada has the support of families who believe he has been a positive influence in their children's lives. We recognize and appreciate the relationships he has built with his players and the contributions he has made to the Stamford High School football program. Those contributions are not diminished by the circumstances surrounding his resignation," Forker added.

An interim coach will not be named. The current coaching staff will assume collective head coaching duties for the remainder of the 2026 season.

Panapada was named as the head football coach at SHS in 2022. Since then, his teams have gone 16-31.

Stamford qualified for the 2023 CIAC Class LL playoffs as the No. 7 seed, ending a 28-year playoff drought. The team lost to No. 2 Greenwich, 47-21, in the quarterfinals, finishing 7-4 overall.

The Black Knights then went 1-9 in back-to-back seasons leading into this season.

Stamford's next game is at home against St. Joseph on Oct. 31. The Cadets are 5-0 and coming off a 31-0 win against Wilton.

Patch has reached out to Passamano and Panapada for comment.