High school football coach removed for allegedly telling student to injure other player, coach claims he's 'targeted'

The head coach at a high school in Florida has been removed from his position and reassigned after he allegedly told one of his players to injure an opponent, according to the Florida Standard.

Leon County Schools has reassigned Kevin Pettis, the coach at Chiles High School in Tallahassee, after school officials reviewed the results of an independent investigation into the matter. The claims stem from a story in Tallahassee Reports that Pettis allegedly solicited a Chiles High School player to injure another player during a game in fall 2022.

“I do not agree with [the superintendent's] decision, and I am looking into my options and next steps,” Pettis reportedly said in a statement. “I feel that this was a targeted narrative against myself and Chiles High, similar to the investigation against principal Burgess in 2021," the statement added.

The school district simply said that “documents related to this case will be released in accordance with school board policy” and will be sent to the Florida High School Athletic Association for review.

Pettis appeared to be referring to a 2021 investigation into Chiles High School Principal Joe Burgess. Burgess was accused of paying employees in a "grossly improper" manner.

A report by WTXL said that Burgess may have given undocumented hourly pay from Advanced Placement project funds. A review reportedly found that Burgess "falsified district records by approving, signing, and submitting payroll documents he knew or should have known were inaccurate."

As well, in 2014 Coach Pettis was under scrutiny after one of his players died from heat exhaustion during a summer training camp practice while he coached Sebastian River High School, according to TC Palm.

Parents reportedly filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Indian River County School District and alleged that Pettis ignored the health problems of the boy. Parents claimed their 14-year-old son threw up at least three times during and between practices the day he died.

The family settled the lawsuit for $300,000, the maximum amount allowable. The district did not respond to request for comment by the Florida Standard regarding the 2014 incident.

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