Louis, who showed great promise as a sophomore at BBHS, hit a roadblock last summer when he allowed a teammate to store an unloaded shotgun in his locked vehicle during a football practice session. He and a group of friends had planned to go target practice following the morning workout. Louis had participated in the parish 4-H shooting program, competing in local, regional, state and national events.
Discovery of the gun on campus led to the suspension of both young men, and Louis was subsequently expelled from the parish public school system.
He enrolled at Teurlings last fall and sat out the 2010 football season with expectations of playing for the Rebels in his senior year. But it was later learned that Louis would not be eligible to play at Teurlings and the Louis family accepted an offer for Lamar to return to St. Martin Parish and attend the local JCEP school for a six-weeks period, which runs through mid-May. Upon successful completion he will regain his eligibility to participate in all school extracurricular activities, including sports.
“Lamar is a victim of his own naivety and willingness to help others,” says his father, Kennedy Louis. “Information that should have remained confidential was freely disclosed concerning a juvenile. We are grateful that the college coaches and media, for the most part, have not allowed the rumors and misinformation to shape their opinion about him. He is a great student and exceptional athlete. We are proud of him and how he has remained focused throughout this entire situation.”
His mother, Redell Louis, who is supervisor of technology and libraries for the St. Martin School Board, added, “This has been an unbelievable ordeal. We have discovered that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and wiser. Lamar has strong faith and is an inspiration to others ... Through it all, he has managed to maintain his academic status, display good character and remain focused on his goals.”
Lamar, who made a verbal commitment earlier this month to attend college at LSU, said “My decision to return to Breaux Bridge High was based on the fact that I want to play football my senior year with the support of my family. I am grateful to know that I had options available to me. Playing in Texas or Florida were both appealing, but it is more important to me that my family gets to see me play on Fridays. I had a great experience at Teurlings. Coach Sonny (Charpentier) explained my situation to every college coach that called for me. In fact, it was Coach Sonny who encouraged me to return to Breaux Bridge High. Since it seemed unlikely that the St. Martin School Board would grant me a waiver to play at Teurlings, I decided to transfer back to Breaux Bridge.”
He should have enough credits to complete his high school studies by the end of the fall semester and plans to leave school in December.
He has been invited to the Nike Training Camp next month and to play in the National Underclassmen Gridiron Game on New Year’s Eve.
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