An Atlanta high school football coach was fired Tuesday night after an investigation found thousands of dollars belonging to his team missing and that he had engaged in confrontations just short of fistfights with a parent and a school visitor.
A tribunal ruled last month that former Mays High School football coach Corey Jarvis had neglected his duties, been insubordinate and acted immorally.
Jarvis was placed on paid leave earlier this year.
On Tuesday, the board voted 5-4 to fire him. Board members Leslie Grant, Matt Westmoreland, Nancy Meister, Cynthia Briscoe Brown, and Jason Esteves voted in favor of termination. Board member Steven Lee, who represents Mays High School voted against termination, as did Byron Amos, Eshe’ Collins and Courtney English.
A district investigation earlier this year found more than $10,000 belonging to the Mays football team unaccounted for. That included more than $6,000 in football receipts recorded by Jarvis that could not be traced and more than $4,000 collected by him. The investigation also found that Jarvis engaged in "heated verbal altercations" with critics. However, it found no evidence of another allegation, that he mistreated the children of parents who spoke out against him.
The district moved to fire Jarvis after the investigation. Jarvis opposed the firing.
During a personnel hearing, Jarvis' lawyer, Antavius Weems, noted his 19-year history of success as a coach, and said Jarvis could have received a warning in connection with the allegations rather than termination. Weems did not return a call from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday.
Before Tuesday’s vote, Mays alumnus Mike McGee told the board firing Jarvis would be “extreme.”
“We need our coach,” he said. “He has been a great aid to this community like no one has ever been before.”
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