Kingfisher football coach Jeff Myers placed on leave following child neglect charge
Kingfisher High School football coach Jeff Myers was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after being charged Tuesday with child neglect. Myers is accused in the charge of condoning, permitting or deliberately ignoring boxing and wrestling matches in the football locker room.
“Nothing is more important to Kingfisher Public Schools than the safety, health and well-being of our students,” Kingfisher superintendent David Glover said in a statement provided to The Oklahoman. “As a school district, we reaffirm our commitment to provide a welcoming, respectful and safe environment for every student and student athlete.”
Glover, the former assistant director of the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA), said he was unable to provide any additional information about the terms of Myers’ leave, citing a “personnel issue.”
The Oklahoman first reported the felony charge against Myers. Micah Nall, a former assistant coach, school board member Dana Golbek and Justin Mecklenburg, the father of the former player who filed the lawsuit, were also charged.
Myers, 56, had denied any wrongdoing.
"This man's name has been dragged through the mud and he's been unfairly tried and prosecuted in the public, in the news and on social media for the past five years," Myers' attorney, Joe White, said in a statement. "We are glad to finally have an opportunity to defend ourselves in the proper venue — a court of law."
In 2021, Myers was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Kingfisher (2-5) hosts McLoud on Thursday night.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Kingfisher football coach Jeff Myers placed on leave following charge
