CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Tenn. — A Claiborne County high school coach was reinstated until the end of the football season after he was released from his duties at the end of August, education leaders said on Thursday.
The Claiborne County Board of Education met a Claiborne High School for a board meeting on Thursday. Several parents and community members joined them for the meeting after learning Nathan Medlin was released from his duties.
The district had assigned a new head football coach to the school — Nick Nash. Around the same time, a human resources administrator said Director of Schools Dr. Linda Keck would retire at the end of October.
In August, the athletic director said administrators made the decision "in the best interest of both the student-athletes and coaching staff," but did not provide specific reasons why Medlin was removed from the position.
Medlin said he was devastated when the school handed him the letter saying that he was no longer a football coach. He said it came out of the blue for him and he is still unsure what specifically prompted his removal. He claimed he was told he was "unorganized," "unprofessional" and that he would "stir the pot."
He started coaching the football team in 2016 and in the 2020-2021 season, he led the school to their best finish in school history with a 9-2 record, earning the Citizine Tribune All-Lakeway Coach of the Year award. However, the season after that ended in disappointment after the Bulldogs went 1-9.
"I still don't understand what happened, everything that's caused this," said Medlin. "But having the support of the community, players, former players and their parents and their families have been awesome."