21 Oct 2000: A general view of some of the game footballs for the game between the Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. The Lions defeated the Illini 39-25Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport

Coach has reportedly resigned amid alleged death threats

A football coach received death threats for losing.

Middletown High School in Ohio has lost 18 straight football games, and head coach Lance Engleka has decided to resign. He wasn't forced to resign by the school, either.

Instead, Engleka is resigning because he said there have been death threats made against him because of his team's losing streak. Engleka is also the dean of students at Middletown, and he wrote a letter to principal announcing his resignation.

According to CBS Sports, Engleka said his family and coaching staff received threats. Englaka wrote that "winning and losing at the high school level should not be a life-threatening situation."

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It's not uncommon for athletes or coaches to receive death threats, but it's shocking to see it come at the high school level.

What would possess someone to make a death threat to a high school coach? Even at bigger high schools, it's not as if high school sports are high stakes events. There's no reason for death threats to ever be made at any level of sports, but to direct it at a high school coach for losing games is absurd.

Hopefully authorities can find whoever was making the threats. It's unfortunate for Engleka, his family, his staff and his team that someone would go out of their way to threaten high school coaches.