The athletic director at a Tennessee high school has stepped down amid an investigation into grade manipulation — the scandal already having claimed the jobs of several school officials.
Ryan Sutton, director of communications with Anderson County Schools, confirmed to Knoxville ABC affiliate WATE that Clinton High School athletic director Nate Martin has stepped down and left Anderson County Schools.
According to emails obtained by WATE, Martin reported to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association that a student on the varsity football team did not earn the required number of credits to be academically eligible to play.
In an email to the TSSAA. Martin wrote, “When this rolls downhill I am going to lose my job but this is not fair. Our school is in the middle of a grade changing scandal that is about to hit national news. This student’s transcript has been doctored and the school district has no idea who did that."
Clinton High School was fined $250 by the TSSAA for playing an ineligible athlete in 13 games. The school also had to forfeit any wins for games in which the student participated.
In May, Sutton shared with WATE that head football coach Darell Keith’s contract was not renewed for the 2024-25 school year.
Related: HS Football Coach Says He's Scapegoat in Player Eligibility, Grade-Changing Scandals
The investigation also led to two teachers being fired, the principal resigning and others receiving letters of non-renewal for their contracts with the school. On May 18, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office announced it had opened an investigation as requested by the district attorney’s office.
