Kentucky high school basketball coach resigns after profane locker room video surfaces

Lynn Camp High School’s boys basketball coach resigned Wednesday after a pair of videos surfaced showing him cursing at players more than two dozen times in about a minute and a half.

The videos of now-former coach Tyler Wagner berating players inside a locker room have been viewed nearly a million times and shared nearly 3,000 times since they were posted on Facebook last Friday.

In a statement Wednesday, Wagner apologized, confirmed his resignation, and said the videos were from last fall, his lone season leading the program.

“The language that I used in this video is not acceptable in any manner. I allowed the competitive environment to get the best of me and for that I am truly sorry,” he wrote. “I have fully accepted that what I did was not right, and I pledge to be better.”

Wagner was hired as head coach in May 2023. His resignation comes about a month before Lynn Camp’s first regular season game this year.

In the videos — one about a minute long, and the other about 30 seconds — Wagner chastised the players for their effort and poor play.

Knox County schools spokesperson Frank Shelton said Wednesday that officials had been “informed of a situation showing a coach inappropriately discussing issues with players. We are unable to discuss specific personnel matters. The coach has since voluntarily resigned from the position.”

District officials said the coaching position is vacant, but they plan to have a new coach in place by the team’s season opener Dec. 2 against Owsley County.

High school basketball tryouts in Kentucky began Oct. 15.

Knox County Schools “stresses the importance of sportsmanship, by all involved, as a pillar of our school district’s athletic programs,” said Shelton.

The videos of Wagner’s tirade have been shared widely on social media. Some viewers expressed support for the coach, while others condemned his language.

In a school district statement announcing his hiring last spring, Wagner said: “My goals coming in are just competing and playing hard. I don’t want to ever lay down to anyone, as long as we come in every day and compete and play as hard as possible we can only get better.

“Players can expect to be held accountable and coached hard. I will give them my all, and I expect the same from them.”

Wagner attended Lynn Camp High School and then played three seasons at Union College, according to a WYMT story announcing his hiring.

Wagner was a graduate assistant at Union College during the 2016-17 season, according to the district’s statement last fall, and then an assistant coach at Williamsburg High, assistant coach at Union College, and an assistant coach at Whitley County.

This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 2:51 PM.