HS Coach Resigns Amid Recruiting Violation Allegations

Amid controversy surrounding allegations of recruiting violations, Boynton Beach head football coach Errick Lowe has resigned from the position, according to multiple sources.

Lowe informed his players in a meeting Tuesday night he was resigning from a job he has held for two seasons, according to a video made available to The Post.

In the video, Lowe and Boynton Beach staffers addressed a group of players about the resignation.

Lowe said in the video, "I'm pissed off. I'm very pissed off, so you probably won't see me tomorrow. ... I'm not going to be on the sideline with you all."

Another staffer said off-camera, "I know this was a very hard decision for coach. He cares about every one of you guys."

A third staffer is heard to say, "Coach Lowe just came in here and made an announcement that he resigned."

Boynton Beach administrators could not be reached for comment.

The Boynton Beach football program also is being investigated by the state's Office of Inspector General over questions raised about fundraising for the team, as reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

A former football coach at Lake Worth and Park Vista, Lowe was hired in March 2015 to coach Boynton Beach and led the Tigers to a combined 10-10 record and one playoff appearance.

Boynton Beach finished 6-4 last season and advanced to the Class 6A regional quarterfinals.

As The Post reported exclusively March 20, Lowe and his staff have been accused by former defensive coordinator Korey Banks of improperly contacting players in an effort to lure them to Boynton Beach.

According to Florida High School Athletic Association bylaws, representatives of a school's athletic interests are forbidden from direct or indirect contact -- whether in person or through written or electronic communication -- with a student or any member of the student's family in an effort to pressure or entice the student to attend a different school for the purpose of playing sports.

Banks claims Lowe and his assistants improperly recruited more than a dozen players to Boynton last season, promising them the opportunity to play for a winning team and earn college scholarships.

"Do you think they would have gone to the playoffs with no (influx of) talent?" Banks asked of the Tigers, who made the playoffs after going 4-6 in 2015 and missing the postseason. "How did they go to the playoffs out of the blue like that? They're recruiting kids all the time. I have text messages. This is what they do."

Banks shared text messages with The Post that appear to show conversations among Boynton coaches in which they discuss their efforts to lure players to the Tigers program.

Boynton Beach did not comment on Banks' allegations against its football program.

Banks was let go from his head-coaching position at Santaluces -- a role he held for just six weeks -- after Boynton Beach made similar allegations against him late last year. Boynton filed documents to the FHSAA claiming that Banks had contacted 10 to 15 Boynton players in attempts to bring them with him to Santaluces, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Banks denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, the FHSAA continues to review an allegation made against the Tigers football program. There is no "active investigation," an FHSAA spokesperson says, but the group did reach out to Boynton Beach administrators following the publication of The Post's story.

Lowe spent nine seasons as Lake Worth's head coach from 2004-12 and also coached wide receivers at Park Vista for two seasons.

[email protected] Twitter: @JRWagner5

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