Union County coach steps down after high school corroborated some harassment complaints
Editor’s note, added Dec. 24, 2024: A Union County Public Schools investigation looked into allegations of harassment against then-Parkwood High School Head Football Coach Tim Boyd. While the February 2023 investigatory report found evidence corroborating some allegations, it did not label his actions as sexual harassment, nor was he disciplined for any misconduct as a coach or teacher.
The final report of the Union County Schools stated: “The investigation did not substantiate any allegations of sexual harassment. Further the investigation did not substantiate any other violations of policy that warrant disciplinary action. The investigation was closed and we expect you to continue in your role as a teacher at Parkwood High School in the Fall of 2023.”
The final report was signed by UCPS Superintendent Dr. Andrew G. Houlihan. The final report was dated April 6, 2023.
Boyd voluntarily stepped down as the Parkwood football coach. Boyd remained as a PE teacher until July 2023 and then left the Union County school system voluntarily.
A Union County football coach has stepped down from his job following a school district investigation that corroborated some harassment claims against him.
Union County Public Schools confirmed Thursday that Tim Boyd, the former head football coach at Parkwood High School in Monroe, stepped down from his coaching job. District spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte also told The Charlotte Observer Boyd is still employed at the school as a physical education teacher.
The high school’s Twitter account Wednesday introduced the Wolf Pack’s new head football coach as Sam Mobley.
Mobley, a 26-year-old, is a Parkwood High graduate. He played in the XFL, a professional league with games from February to May, and was an assistant coach under Boyd this season.
The change comes after UCPS conducted an employee relations investigation in September that corroborated some reports from parents and players, finding evidence Boyd made an inappropriate comment about “spraying his solution” between the player’s legs, according to the 10-page report provided to the Observer by a parent who’s child is named in it.
Even though the report corroborated some harassment allegations involving a comment of a sexual nature, UCPS hasn’t confirmed whether it conducted a Title IX investigation, which federal law requires. Title IX says public schools must investigate reports about possible harassment or sexual violence and take steps to prevent further victimization or harm.
Jake Modla, an attorney Boyd hired in early February, previously told the Observer the district’s report was “factually inaccurate and false.” Modla, of The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, in Rock Hill, couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.
Boyd, 35, was hired Aug. 18 as a teacher. He was never placed on leave during UCPS’ employee relations investigation or disciplined, according to Modla. Boyd was interviewed as part of the investigation, according to the report.
UCPS finds evidence of harassment
The district’s employee investigation launched in September after Tammy Meaders, Meg Enos and a handful of other parents brought concerns to Parkwood High Principal Tracy Strickland, former Athletic Director Rocky Richar and Superintendent Andrew Houlihan, among others.
The parents alleged Boyd bullied and harassed players in his first year as the school’s football coach. The investigation found evidence for some claims and didn’t for others.
Meaders’ son played football for Parkwood High this school year. She told the Observer her son was lifting weights when Boyd took a spray bottle, sprayed it in between the player’s legs and made the comment: “I just sprayed my solution into you.” The report obtained by the Observer said evidence found Boyd made “inappropriate sexual jokes referencing semen to his players,” and players understood the comment “to be referring to semen.” It was taken by players to be a “sexual innuendo,” according to the investigation.
Evidence also showed Boyd told a player he liked seeing him in his underwear while the player was changing in the locker room, according to the report of UCPS findings dated Sept. 28. Enos received a copy of that report Jan. 6.
Modla disputed the report, calling it “useless.”
Mobley, on Thursday, told the Observer he thought Boyd “did a good job of trying to get the program going” after Parkwood High lost beloved coach Terrence Gittens, who died suddenly last April.
“It’s going to be easier for the kids to relate with me, being from the area,” Mobley said. “I’m a little bit younger, so they will relate with me in that aspect.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
