Seminole Chieftains Head Football Coach Mike Snyder has been suspended for one game and will not be on the sidelines for tonight’s matchup with Perkins-Tryon.

The suspension, reportedly handed down by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA), comes on the heels of the forfeiture of last week’s game against Bristow over an ineligible player. Seminole defeated Bristow 28-34 on the road Friday, Oct. 3, but the victory was ruled null and void by the OSSAA, putting the Chieftains at 4-1 for the season.

On Tuesday, Seminole Public Schools released the following statement regarding the forfeiture: “It is with heavy hearts that Seminole Public Schools announces the forfeiture of the varsity football game between the Seminole Chieftains and the Bristow Pirates held on October 3, 2025.

On Monday, October 6, it was brought to our attention that an ineligible player had participated in the game. At the time of the game, we were under the good-faith assumption that this student-athlete had been cleared by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA). Upon learning of the concern, we immediately launched a review and, through that process, uncovered information that had not previously been known to us.

This situation is disheartening for everyone involved. Most of all, our hearts ache for our student-athletes—young men who played with integrity, passion, and tremendous effort. They fought hard for a win against an incredibly talented Bristow team, and it is painful to see their hard work overshadowed by this unfortunate situation.

May the 2025 Chieftain football team build on their momentum and transform today’s disappointment into an even greater and more determined second half of the season.”

Assistant Coach Steven Huff will handle the head coaching responsibilities in tonight’s game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Sarah Estis, a sophomore Chickasaw student, identifies with her tribe and noted seeing heightened statistics on social media around depression, missing, and murdered Indigenous people.

“Seeing all of those statistics constantly, it’s like this subconscious fear because nobody ever talks about it in real life, but online it’s everywhere,” said Estis, who believes the rise in social media as a whole contributes to the growing rates of suicide.

“Kids are a little bit more protected now because we’ve seen the harm of social media, but our generation, it was just the start of Facebook and Twitter and all of these open messaging apps…and then it became such a big part of our lives in middle school and high school,” said Estis.

The two tribes state that there is also a prominence of generational trauma within these apps, and social media can target these trends.

Many other tribes have filed lawsuits preceding these nations’ filings, but most are in the early stages, and no verdict has been made. Tribes are often seeking changes in platform design and financial compensation for emotional distress.

The complaint states that the effects of social media companies impact the resources allocated to education and mental health. Tribes are struggling to navigate relief efforts as social media hinders most progress.

Social Media companies are now facing a growing number of lawsuits, with over 40 states engaged in filings based on mental health deterioration. If the tribal nations or states win a lawsuit, it could potentially pave the way for other tribes to push for members’ mental health, offering a glimmer of hope for the future.

“Defendants, who are all so-called “social-media companies,” recognize that Native Americans are already vulnerable populations— especially teens and adolescents, and have designed products to exploit and profit from those vulnerabilities,” stated the complaint in Chickasaw Nation v. Meta Platforms Inc.

Gaylord News is a reporting service of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews. net.

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