It's heartbreaking; former Clinch Valley football player arrested; where does Shonn Bell go from here?
It has been a long journey for the former Highland Cavalier tight end. Now he embarks on another journey; to continue as he has or seek a road of renewal and redemption.
I had to take a step back and take a deep breath after seeing the headline.
Sitting at my desk in front of the computer, I get the headline from my good friend and editor of the Augusta Free Press, Chris Graham that Waynesboro High School football coach Shonn Bell was arrested this past Saturday night on a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated, according to a report on RecentlyBooked.com.
I click on the link and sure enough there is Bell posted on the website.
The report details that Bell, 50, was booked at 7:36 p.m., and that the charge is for driving while intoxicated/blood alcohol level greater than .20. A conviction on this charge would carry with it a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 10 days and a mandatory minimum fine of $250.
You are probably saying, so what? It happens to a lot of people. It happened to a former high school football coach that was a friend of mine. Why are you making such a big deal about it? Or maybe you are saying, well, he got what he deserved or will get it this time around.
It’s a big deal for me because I was one of his supporters and cheerleaders when I first joined the Clinch Valley College football family in 1993 as sports information director.
Bell was born in Waynesboro, Virginia but played most of his high school football in Germany while his father was stationed there in the Army.
His senior year of high school he was moved back to Virginia and attended Stuart’s Draft High School. After he graduated, Bell received attention from little known Clinch Valley College. Coach Bill Ramseyer and staff went after Bell and he accepted the opportunity to play at the NAIA college in far Southwest Virginia.
Bell completed his career with the Highland Cavaliers with 84 receptions for 1,224 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was an NAIA All-American tight end and All-Virginia tight end.
Bell then accepted an opportunity to play in the NFL in 1996. First it was with the Houston Oilers, then to the San Francisco 49ers, then on to NFL Europe where he played for the Scottish Claymores before returning stateside to play some Arena Football League and Indoor Football League football.
To be honest, I lost track of Shonn after his time with the Scottish Claymores and had no idea what he was doing until I found out in 2024 that he had been named the head football coach at Waynesboro High School.
I found out he was hired at Waynesboro but carried several run-ins with law enforcement over the years, including one that I knew nothing about when he played for the Highland Cavaliers.
Bell was hired as a security monitor for the school system in addition to becoming the head football coach. The program he inherited, "The Little Giants”, is a football program that went 1-19 in two seasons prior to Bell’s arrival at Waynesboro.
Bell went 0-10 in his first season as head coach at Waynesboro. The team was outscored 49-13 on average during the season.
The season did not go smoothly for Shonn either as reports from parents and those with the program have publicly on social media, drawing attention to Bell’s actions, behavior and demeanor inside and outside of the locker room.
In all truth, I never spoke to Shonn that much when he was playing football for Coach Bill Ramseyer but Shonn always seemed uptight about something and it was something I didn’t want to know about. I let Shonn be Shonn.
When he was named the head coach at Waynesboro, I kept my congratulations to a minimum and wished him the best of luck but I also told him to use his resources, especially from his time playing under Coach Ramseyer close to heart.
He thanked me and told me he was going to do his best.
That was about it in our conversation. While he and I became friends on Facebook, he didn’t post very much publicly nor did I search for what he was doing or what was going on.
I am broken-hearted but I realize there are obstacles we can overcome and some we can’t. I feel bad for Shonn but then again, the other part of me says when you don’t try to change, you’re headed for a fall.
I can see many of the parent’s point of view concerning Shonn and his behavior. What hurts the most is Shonn is dealing with an internal source of pain. It’s a pain that I hope he can overcome but it will take time. The question is does Shonn have the patience and time as well as perseverance to try and overcome this huge obstacle dropped in his path?
Now the wait begins as Bell will find out his fate with the Waynesboro School Board.
I really do wish Shonn the best. I hope he can overcome this obstacle but change will only happen when he faces it head on.
It’s just a heartbreaking situation to me; to see so much potential in someone but yet they can’t get their life together. Maybe it’s just the teacher in me, overlooking the negative and trying to focus on the positive and potential.
With this recent development, I don’t know where Shonn goes from here.
Hopefully it will be a road to redemption, renewal and re-commitment.
