Coach possibly fired over pot business

The Lakes High School football team had a successful 2015 season, thanks in part to an assistant coach who played for the Lancers, the University of Washington Huskies and the Seattle Seahawks.

Still, there's a shake-up on the coaching staff that has nothing to do with football fields, but everything to do with "grass."

Hillary Butler, who has served as assistant coach at Lakes the past two seasons, is excited about his new business as a soon-to-be-licensed Tier 3 cannabis producer and processor.

He said he and his business partners will break ground on a 30,000-square-foot marijuana grow site on Monday.

"We will be offering the premium cannabis experiences for Washington state," Butler said on Friday.

Butler also believes his new career in legal marijuana ended his run at Lakes.

"It really hit me hard. I actually broke down and started crying," Butler said of his reaction when head coach Dave Miller broke the news earlier this week.

"We made it third in the state last year after going a couple of years without even making the playoffs, so I do think I contributed to the school, and I do think that I still can."

Butler doesn't blame the school or Coach Miller, whom he admires and supports.  He said the decision was made by the Clover Park School District.

The district's director of community relations, Kimberly Prentice, gave no specific reason for Butler's termination but released the following statement:
 
"All Clover Park School District coaching contracts are non-continuing, meaning they are season to season. Coaching adjustments are made regularly, depending on the needs of the team and best interest of student athletes."
 
The statement made no reference at all to Butler's pot plans.

He fears, others in the legal pot industry who work and volunteer with kids may face similar scrutiny.

"We're at the cutting edge of a great industry, and I'm proud to be on the forefront of it," Butler said.

He will miss the players the most, but won't give up what will most likely be a lucrative business in order to coach for $6,000 a year.

As he told KIRO 7, he has a family to support.

Cox Media Group