Lakeland Jenkins football coach arrested on sex charges

Posted Dec 14, 2011 by Bill Ward

Updated Dec 14, 2011 at 02:54 PM

Lakeland George Jenkins head football coach, Matt Thompson, was arrested and charged with having sex with a 17-year-old female student, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced at a news conference Wednesday morning.

Judd said the 30-year-old Thompson had sex with the girl at least three times. Thompson was one of three people charged with separate sex-related charges against minors in Polk County. The other two are former youth ministers at a local church, one of whom is a middle school teacher.

“We have a recorded conversation in which he admitted having sex with this child,” Judd said at the news conference.

Judd said Thompson has been under investigation by the Polk County School District after being accused of harassment by former Jenkins athletes. These accusations came up during a Florida High School Athletic Association investigation into allegations that several former Jenkins players falsified information before enrolling at the school.

The Lakeland Ledger reported three former starters at Jenkins during the 2010 season accused Thompson of harsh treatment and transferred to other schools. The FHSAA eventually ruled the players ineligible for falsifying information, receiving free benefits and failing to make a “full-and-complete move” before enrolling at Lakeland.

One parent, Heather Clark, claimed her son, Jadrian Clark, was forced to do “bear crawls” on a concrete floor despite having two broken fingers. The Ledger reported Jadrian was booted from the team and belittled by Thompson after showing up to practice not dressed out because he had suffered a concussion in the previous game.

Another parent, Joe Stafford, the father of Jacobe Stafford, claimed Thompson shouted profanity at his son after suffering a knee injury in practice.

Thompson has been the Jenkins’ coach since 2010. He previously coached at Wildwood High School in Sumter County. Before his two years at Wildwood, Thompson was coach at Paris High School in Kentucky, and an assistant at Melbourne Central Catholic.

To read more, follow this link: http://www2.tbo.com/news/prep-sports/2011/dec/14/2/polk-sheriffs-office-jenkins-high-coach-arrested-o-ar-334671/