The head coach at Dobson High School in Mesa, Bill Godsi, was arrested on the school campus Thursday by surprise police.
Godsil has been with Mesa Public Schools since 2019 and is set to begin the spring season as Assistant JV Baseball Coach.
According to a letter from Dobson’s principal, Gabbi Buckley, he was placed on administrative leave immediately following his arrest.
Buckley said in the letter,
Our understanding is the case does not involve Mesa Public Schools students, Mr. Godsil was immediately placed on administrative leave and the district is, and will continue to, fully cooperate with the Surprise Police Department in their investigation.
The case reportedly does not involve any students from Mesa Public Schools.
The Surprise Police Department has not yet disclosed further details about the nature of the case.
HC Bill Godsil Left Coolidge High School To Become The HC At Dobson!
Bill Godsil is a seasoned football coach with over 24 years of coaching experience, including 14 years as a head coach.
He has made significant contributions to the teams he has led.
At Coolidge, he turned the football program around, taking the team from a 2-8 record in his first season to a 7-4 record and a playoff appearance in his second season.
His achievements at Coolidge earned him the opportunity to take on the challenge of rebuilding the football program at Dobson.
In 2019, he left Coolidge High to become the head football coach at Dobson High School.
On the other hand, Dobson High School had not had a winning season since 2007 and went 2-8 in the season before Godsil’s arrival.
Recently, Godsil faced a challenge at Dobson as he was arrested, and the reason has not been made public yet.
The district is fully cooperating with the Surprise Police Department in their investigation.
Dobson head football coach Bill Godsil has been placed on administrative leave after he was arrested on campus by Surprise police, according to a message sent to families Thursday by the school.
— Zach Alvira (@ZachAlvira) February 14, 2025
Bill’s recent arrest has stirred up many reactions. The community is understandably shocked and concerned, especially since Godsil has been a part of the school since 2019.
One of the users expressed his/her concern via a comment in a Twitter Post.
The user questions how long the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) and AZPreps365 will allow coaches, athletic directors (ADs), and teachers to significantly influence students, writing,
Hopefully this doesn’t have anything to do with the kids. But again, how long is @ArizonaAIA
@AZPreps365 going to have a situation won/our parent/tax payer input/oversight where coaches/ads/teachers have leverage over kids. We will eventually have this situation.
The commenter calls for proactive measures to prevent any such misuse of power before it leads to more serious issues.
Furthermore, the follow-up comment further highlighted the case,
If it hasn’t happened already/even if not reported. You give them leverage they can use and manipulate against parents/kids.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Bill also teaches physical education and credit recovery classes in Dobson.
- There is no report suggesting any previous legal issues involving Bill.
