Jordan football coach Jon Nielsen has informed the562.org that he is taking a leave of absence for the rest of the football season, and that assistant coach Eric Richardson will be running the Panthers program going forward.

“I took a leave of absence and Eric Richardson is taking over head coaching duties on the field,” he said in a call Friday morning. “Everything else will be no comment until the season is over.”

Nielsen also confirmed that his son, JJ Nielsen, a two-year starting quarterback for the Panthers, has been checked out of the high school for the last two weeks but declined further comment.

Jordan principal Keisha Irving confirmed that Richardson was in charge of the Panthers going forward and expressed confidence in his leadership.

“Assistant coach Eric Richardson has been appointed as interim head coach by the Jordan High School administration,” she said in a statement. “Coach Richardson brings years of experience and a deep commitment to our team and its success. We are confident in his ability to lead the team and provide strong guidance for our players.

“We are excited about the future of our program and believe our athletes are in great hands with Coach Richardson at the helm.”

It’s turned heads that JJ Nielsen, a Hawaii commit who was one of the city’s top seniors this year and Jon Nielsen’s son, has not been on the field for the Panthers thus far. After the Panthers’ game last week Jon Nielsen declined comment about his son’s absence, saying, “I can only talk about people that are on our roster.” 

Jordan is off to an 0-2 start after a narrow defeat to Kennedy, and will travel to George Washington Prep this week before rounding out their nonleague with a game against La Mirada. The road doesn’t get easier as they open their Moore League schedule with games at Long Beach Poly, Millikan, and Lakewood.