Former Auburn wide receiver Lee Guess has stepped down as head football coach at Pinson Valley after one season.

In a statement to AL.com Monday afternoon, Guess wrote that balancing the responsibilities of being a head coach at the Class 6A level with family obligations proved to be a tough hurdle.

“What makes a successful coach, in my opinion, is one who can balance those responsibilities alongside the responsibilities of a spouse and parent,” Guess wrote in his statement. “Achieving that balance has proved to be very difficult and, frankly, more than I want to put my family through. So, with much prayer and consideration, I’ve decided to step away from coaching in order to focus on my roles as a husband and father.”

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Guess was officially hired last May to replace Sam Shade, who left to become the head coach at Miles College. Guess served as Shade’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and was the wide receivers coach for five years prior to that.

The Indians went 6-4 in Guess’ only season as the head coach. After starting the year 1-2, including a forfeit loss against Florence in the season opener, Pinson won five of its final six regular-season games to finish third in the Class 6A, Region 6 standings. The Indians lost to eventual runner-up Mountain Brook 49-7 in the first round of the playoffs.

“There may be some coaches out there that are able to achieve that balance, but it’s not a risk I’m willing take as I’ve seen too many marriages broken and too many families neglected due to the stress and demands put on coaches in the realm of sports today,” Guess further wrote.

Guess was a record-setting receiver at Hewitt-Trussville who played football at Auburn with his high-school quarterback, Brandon Cox. He and wife Brittney have four children.

“I can no longer allow my life to be consumed with work at the expense of my family,” he said. “I want to uphold my responsibility as a husband to love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Marriage is a clear example of how the gospel is portrayed, and I can’t sacrifice my relationship with my wife in pursuit of a career that continues to jeopardize that.”

Pinson Valley principal Michael Turner said he hoped to have a new coach within the next few weeks. Since 2017, Pinson Valley has won 65 of its 79 games, including state titles wins in 2017 and 2018 under current Central-Phenix City coach Patrick Nix and 2020 under Shade.

COMPLETE LEE GUESS STATEMENT

“The responsibilities of a head coach on and off the field are weighty. What makes a successful coach, in my opinion, is one who can balance those responsibilities alongside the responsibilities of a spouse and parent. Achieving that balance has proved to be very difficult and frankly more than I want to put my family through. So with much prayer and consideration, I’ve decided to step away from coaching in order to focus on my roles as a husband and father.

There may be some coaches out there that are able to achieve that balance; but it’s not a risk I’m willing take as I’ve seen too many marriages broken and too many families neglected due to the stress and demands put on coaches in the realm of sports today.

I can no longer allow my life to be consumed with work at the expense of my family. I want to uphold my responsibility as a husband to love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Marriage is a clear example of how the gospel is portrayed, and I can’t sacrifice my relationship with my wife in pursuit of a career that continues to jeopardize that.

It will be difficult to put aside the game that I love. Football has had such a big impact on my life and helped shape who I am today. Maybe I will find myself coaching in the future, but at this time I’m looking forward to spending more intentional time with my family. My plans are to stay at Pinson as a teacher and continue mentoring students and student-athletes in the classroom.

I want to thank the city of Pinson, school administration and staff for their support in letting me be a part of and lead the football program these past seven years. I will continue to serve our players with a strong off-season workout plan until the next head coach is transitioned into that role. I will make every effort to ensure the transition is beneficial for the players and the program.”