KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — One Knoxville SC and head coach Mark McKeever have mutually agreed to part ways, the club announced Thursday.
The decision came less than 24 hours before One Knox SC's game with the Chattanooga Red Wolves.
McKeever had been the lone head coach in the club's history since its inception in 2021.
“I want to thank Drew McKenna and everyone at One Knox,” McKeever said in a statement. “It's been an incredible experience over the last few years and I am immensely proud of the progress this team has made, the support they’ve shown for each other and the inspiration they’ve provided to the fans in Knoxville. I look forward to watching and supporting One Knox's continued success both on and off the field
WBIR reported in 2023 that the USL investigated McKeever for claims of verbal bullying and physical misconduct. WBIR asked One Knoxville SC partner Drew McKenna if McKeever's exit was tied in any way to that investigation, and he said it was unrelated.
McKenna declined to comment further when asked why McKeever was no longer with the club. A reason wasn't given in the press release sent out by the team.
Former player and assistant coach Ilija Illic served as interim head coach as the club won its first game without McKeever at the helm by a final score of 4-1.
After the game, WBIR asked him if the team was given a reason why McKeever and the team parted ways.
"I can't really give you any information because I'm not really sure what happened there," he said. "As far as points in a game, we tried to work on the stuff we do in training, try to score goals. It was really emotional today and I was so happy to come out with a win tonight."
WBIR also asked defender James Thomas if he knew why McKeever was let go.
"What was in the statement is what we are going with," he said.
The club remains fifth in the USL 1 standings following the win. Their four goals is the most they've scored in a game all season. They play again on August 23 inside Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville against Spokane Velocity FC at 7 p.m.