Gunner Brewer, who was dismissed from the Desert Ridge football team on Oct. 5, came out to the school Thursday night, Oct. 15, to support the football team in its game against Tempe Corona del Sol.
Desert Ridge athletic director Kevin Swann turned media away from covering the game, including The Arizona Republic.
Brewer, who was the team's quarterback up until he was dismissed, still spoke with the media outside the stadium but a Gilbert Public Schools spokesperson said no video could be allowed on the school property.
Swann and head coach Miles Smith have not returned messages from The Republic this week concerning Brewer's dismissal and the 12 players, five of whom are seniors, who walked out on a meeting in support of Brewer last week. Those 12 players are suspended from the team for the rest of the season but underclassmen can return to the team in the offseason.
Marie Brewer, Gunner's mom, gave The Republic permission to interview her son.
The dismissal, he said, stemmed from changing a play on his own during his team's 14-12 win at Vail Cienega earlier this season.
"I never expected it," he said. "I never got told it was bad to call an audible. Never had a one-on-one meeting that it was bad. Basically, all that happened, I'm disappointed because I wanted to finish my senior year."
Brewer watched last week's 49-7 loss at Desert Ridge from the stands. He came back for the Oct. 15 game to see the team play.
"I've been here for four years," said Brewer, who played quarterback and safety on last year's 0-10 team as a junior. "My brother went through here. I love the community. The community's got my back.
"Gone through three coaches in four years. I can't give up on my brothers. I want to support my brothers."
Miles Smith was hired as head coach last December.
Two days after Brewer was removed from the team, a meeting was held with players asking for Brewer's return. One player asked for those who wanted to see Brewer return to raise their hands. About 12 players did so. A coach said if they didn't like their decision that they could leave, a parent said. They left.
More: Watch ex-NFL coach Lovie Smith in Desert Ridge football confrontation video
"Definitely made me happy, because we went through everything together," Brewer said. "They definitely had my back. And I have theirs 100 percent. When they did that, I stood right by them. I want to give them a shout out, because they made a decision and stuck with it."
Swann sent a letter to football parents about the incident, which The Republic reviewed. In it, he confirmed that some players had indicated they did not want Brewer kicked off the team. But, he said in the letter, when asked, coaches and players also said Smith had not treated any players with disrespect in any way.
Brewer said the play he changed was called for him, but he wanted his running back to run the ball to get the first down to seal the game. He said it worked.
"I came off the field with a lot of high hopes," Brewer said. "(Smith) said he wanted to talk to me after the game. Never really talked to me after the game. Bascially it was me trusting my players that they would get the job done."
Brewer said he was late for a team meeting the week of the Mesa Westwood game, because of car trouble. He was fine with being disciplined and having to sit out the first quarter of that 56-20 loss on Sept. 25.
"I can't really blame (the car troubles) on that," he said. "I had to roll with that. I sat out a quarter, and rolled with it."
During the summer, Marie Brewer said, there was an incident with her son in the parking lot where he said he "screeched" his tires driving off fast. She said Gunner was reprimanded but not disciplined for that.
Brewer was asked by a reporter what his relationship is like now with the coaching staff.
"It's been up and down, knowing the community has my back, and a lot of stuff comes with that," he said. "You just have to stay humble.
"I still love the coaching staff. I love them, no matter what. I know they're doing what's best."
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don't miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dismissed Desert Ridge football QB Gunner Brewer still supports team