WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A former Nathan Hale High School football coach is sharing new details about a district investigation that led to the resignation of more than half of the school's coaching staff, including what was said in a private group chat involving the coaching staff.
Only four of the original 11 coaches are actively still on staff.
WATCH: Former Nathan Hale coach speaks out about group chat, district investigation
The former coach, who we are not naming because he isn't facing disciplinary action or criminal charges, told TMJ4 in an email that he was called into the school on Aug. 6 and placed on administrative leave. He said he was specifically told it was not a criminal investigation but was not told what the investigation was about. Four days later, he resigned.
"I have been asked why I resigned if I don't believe I did anything wrong. My answer is simple: I did not feel comfortable continuing in an environment where I felt I was being constantly scrutinized and where I no longer had confidence in the people around me," he said.
TMJ4 previously reported sources believed a possible group message involving the coaching staff was connected to the investigation. The former coach provided new details about that chat, saying all 11 coaches were members, and the conversation took place on their personal devices. He said, to his knowledge, there was never anything threatening, violent or malicious posted.
"There was certainly frustration expressed about the athletic director. Some coaches referred to him as 'Grimace,' primarily because he frequently wore purple. An AI-generated image depicting the athletic director as Grimace was also shared in the conversation," he said.
He said the lack of communication has left people to speculate about what happened.
"The continued silence has allowed speculation to fill the void, and that is unfair to everyone involved including the students. Some of the speculation has been significantly worse than what I personally experienced or understand the circumstances to have been," he said.
TMJ4 reached out to West Allis Nathan Hale administrators for a response to these new details and for clarification on the status and outcome of the investigation but has not yet heard back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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