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CLINTON, Tennessee — Clinton High School football head coach Darell Keith will not coach the Dragons next season.
Keith told WBIR on Tuesday that the school chose not to renew his contract as a teacher and, as a result, he will not be coaching the team moving forward.
His departure follows action, including a fine, by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association against Clinton after it was found to be using an ineligible athlete in the 2023 football season.
In the May 17 letter, TSSAA writes: “According to the information submitted, the student did not earn the required number of credits the previous school year to be academically eligible.”
The player isn’t named.
Clinton had self-reported the use of the player, according to the May 17 letter obtained by WBIR from TSSAA to the school athletic director. The TSSAA told WBIR Clinton self-reported the infraction last week.
In addition to a $250 fine, the school faces forfeiture of six victories for games in which the ineligible player took part, according to the TSSAA. The letter they sent says the player took part in 13 games in total. The TSSAA has since emailed WBIR saying Clinton is still determining the number of games the ineligible player played.
Keith told WBIR he did not know the student-athlete was ineligible to play until last week. He said the Athletics Department was supposed to indicate if a player was ineligible before the season but he says he was never told players were ineligible.
Keith said the prior season five players were deemed ineligible and he didn’t play any of them.
Clinton High also has been embroiled in a grade-changing scandal that has resulted in the departures of the principal and two teachers.
Rachel Jones, a teacher who was fired for fixing test grades for students, said in August 2022, Keith came to her classroom and showed her a transcript with marks by certain grades for a student, school board records show.
According to Jones, Keith said she needed to “replace the grades” by placing the student into Odysseyware classes. Jones said she couldn’t help Keith and said Keith returned with the same transcript later.
The next time he came back with a signature from former school principal Dan Jenkins, according to school board minutes.
“Dan said put him in those classes,” Jones said, reporting what Keith said.
She said she asked Jenkins to confirm who told her to put him in the classes Keith asked the student to be put in.
Keith told WBIR these are just allegations and he never tried to change a student-athlete’s grade. He said all he did was try to get the student in question into credit recovery classes for the betterment of his education.
He said it doesn’t make sense that Jones said he asked to replace the grade but also asked to put the student-athlete in credit recovery courses.
Keith told WBIR he is seeking legal advice as he feels his name is being defamed.
Keith has coached at the school since he was hired in December 2019. He went 19-23 in four seasons before the forfeiture of last season.
He led the team to their first playoff appearance since the 2018 season last year. In his last season, he led Clinton to playoff wins over McMinn County and Oak Ridge before losing to Walker Valley.
Keith’s coaching career includes a stint with Todd County Central in Kentucky, his previous school before coming to Clinton.
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