An independent investigation into the removal of Kevin Pettis as the head football coach at Chiles High School released Monday found Pettis in violation of some Leon County Schools and FHSAA policy.
However, allegations that Chiles football players were instructed by Pettis to improperly block an opposing player in a way that was potentially dangerous could not be determined.
Pettis, removed from his position earlier this month by Leon County Schools, called the investigation from LCS Monday as a “targeted witch hunt.” He also denied “all wrongdoing” regarding allegations of athletic violations.
Pettis was placed on paid administrative leave April 19 and then removed from the head coaching role at Chiles on Wednesday, June 14, following a two-month-long investigation into allegations of athletic violations.
“We are preparing our response to the report and allegations and deny all wrongdoing,” Pettis said in a statement released to the media Monday. “This is a targeted witch hunt and Leon County Schools has refused to look at all evidence regarding this case. No other disciplinary actions in the County have been handled this way and we have been denied due process in this matter.”
The independent investigation was conducted by Sniffen and Spellman, P.A., and the findings have been forwarded to the Florida High School Athletic Association for review.
Three primary issues were investigated according to the report obtained by the Democrat:
- Whether Chiles players were instructed to improperly block a player from the opposing team (Mosley High School during the 2022 season) in a way that was potentially dangerous.
- Whether two Chiles football players lived out of zone while playing football for the school.
- Whether Chiles football players and other students were subjected to conduct prohibited by District policy.
According to the report, the firm was able to sustain that Pettis violated District policy due to actions and comments related to three students and corroborated.
It was unable to sustain allegations that any player on the Chiles football team was instructed to block a Mosely player in an improper or potentially dangerous manner.
Additionally, it could only “partially sustain” that one of two Chiles football players lived out of zone while playing football for the school, which violates LCS nd FHSAA policy.
An anonymous letter dated March 10, 2023 was submitted to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), the Florida Department of Education and the Leon County Schools District superintendent in relation to the preparation for the Mosley game.
The firm said it conducted in-person and telephone interviews with 38 persons.
Report Details
The report could not determine whether Chiles players were told to purposely injure a member of the Mosley football team during the 2022 season. The firm interviewed several members of the coaching staff and players from Chiles about the allegations.
In the report, it is detailed that Pettis told his tight ends to block low on the Mosely player and “aim at his knees”. Four players are mentioned in the report. One said the intention of Pettis’s instructions were to injure the Mosely player, and three others said it was part of the team’s game plan to scare the Mosely player from blitzing.
“We were watching film of the Mosley defense and KP [Kevin Pettis] told the tight ends, which included 3 players, to hit the best player in the knees. He said to them ‘see how much he likes playing football,'” a student interviewed in the report said.
“Instead of blocking high, block low. Coach KP said to do this 1 or 2 times and ‘to see how much he loved playing football,'” another student said in the report. “We were never instructed to intentionally hurt [#6] [the Mosely player], only to block low, to scare him from blitzing.”
Due to the nature of the terminology used by Pettis and the fact that low blocks or cut blocks are legal in certain circumstances, such as blocking a player within the tackle box, the report could not sustain the allegations of deliberately attempting to injure an opposing player.
In the matter of two Chiles players living out of zone and playing for the team, the report partially sustained allegations of one player living outside the zoning for Chiles and was unable to sustain the allegation of another player living out of zone.
The report found that one of the leases presented to Chiles to prove proof of residency was not a “bonafide lease and contains a falsified signature”.
“The single proof of residence presented by Student 1 ‘s parents to Chiles — the lease on the Chamblee Property — is not a bona fide lease, contains a falsified signature and Student I never resided at the Chamblee Property,” the report said. “A second form of identification was never obtained from Student I ‘s parents.”
The firm said in the report that this was a violation of an FHSAA policy and partially sustained the allegation.
The matter of the second player living out of zone wasn’t sustained, but the report detailed that the lease presented was similar to that of the student with a non-bonafide lease. Despite any doubts of the legitimacy of the documents, the report could not conclude there was a violation, leading to the firm being unable to sustain the allegations.
The third aspect of the investigation looked into Pettis’s language and conduct that was prohibited by district policy. The report sustained the allegation that Pettis had violated school board policy with three students, and was unable to sustain any violations in regard to conduct with one student.
One of the three students who was subject to prohibited conduct was described as someone closely involved with the football program and she helped organize student football activities. The report details several instances of expletives and demeaning language being used by Pettis directed at the student, leaving her frustrated and in tears on multiple occasions the report states.
The report mentions a junior varsity game for Chiles against Wakulla where the water cow, a device used by players to hydrate during games, wasn’t working properly. It details that Pettis blamed the student and yelled at her following the game.
“According to Student 7, Head Coach Pettis opened the door and led her inside his office, in which several other coaches were seated. Student 7 indicated that Head Coach Pettis began to berate her about the manner in which the water cow functioned during the junior varsity game that evening,” the report states.
Pettis was found to use language that violated school board policies and belittled the three students on his team. The report detailed a number of profane words and actions from Pettis that directly violated policies and were not for the benefit of player development.
Pettis suspension history
This marked the second time Kevin Pettis had been placed under investigation by LCS during his tenure at Chiles.
In 2021, the district launched an investigation that included 17 different complaints from parents and players ranging from foul language, misuse and misappropriation of funds, and verbal abuse. The investigation was closed two weeks after LCS had received the complaints.
In 2019, Pettis was suspended by the FHSAA for five games after officials penalized him twice for unsportsmanlike conduct and later ejected from a game against Niceville.
In 2018, Trey Pettis was suspended without pay and barred from coaching for the rest of that academic school year after using a racial slur and profanity on Snapchat.
Trey was the interim head coach during the Chiles spring jamboree games while his father, Kevin, was on suspension. The Timberwolves lost to Wakulla 28-6 and defeated Leon 21-6.
Pettis’s son, Trey, was placed on leave by the school district on June 8 “pending a review of school board policy”. On June 15, Trey announced on Twitter he was stepping down from his role as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
Chiles is currently conducting a search for a new head coach and has named quarterback coach John Hernandez, who has been with the program for about 10 years, as the interim head coach.
More:WATCH: Chiles football coach Trey Pettis on spring jamboree
Chiles went 5-5 this past season, narrowly missing out on an FHSAA playoffs bid. In his seven seasons at Chiles, Pettis has gone 32-38, making one playoff appearance in 2019, where the Timberwolves fell to Niceville, 31-10.
The program is currently doing summer workouts in preparation for the fall season.
The Timberwolves have also been invited to play in Ireland in 2024.