Katy Paetow High School football coach resigns amidst investigation into alleged misconduct

The price tag for the new Legacy Stadium in Katy ISD jumped from $58 million in the 2014 bond package to $72 million.
The price tag for the new Legacy Stadium in Katy ISD jumped from $58 million in the 2014 bond package to $72 million.

A prominent high school football team in the Houston area has undergone a midseason coaching change amidst an investigation into alleged misconduct by its first-year head coach.

Paetow High School coach Lonnie Teagle resigned during the investigation, according to a statement released by Katy ISD, which did not mention Teagle by name or elaborate on the allegation made against him.

School district spokesperson Maria Corrales DiPetta said in an email Wednesday that Brian Hicks Sr., who had been serving as the Paetow’s associate head coach, is now the team’s interim head coach.

According to multiple Houston-area news reports, the allegation against Teagle involves inappropriate conduct with a student. DiPetta would not confirm the nature of the allegation.

“The Katy ISD Police has investigated an allegation concerning a former head football coach,” the school district said in its statement. “The individual resigned during the inquiry and the case has since been referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

“The safety of Katy ISD students and staff is the district’s top priority,” the statement continued. “Whenever the district is made aware of an allegation, the accused is immediately removed from their district assignment(s), while district personnel work swiftly with law enforcement and other agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.”

Teagle, who no longer appears on the online staff directory for Paetow, could not be reached for comment. He deactivated his social media accounts after resigning, according to multiple news reports.

John Donnelly, a spokesperson for the DA’s office, said Wednesday that no criminal charges had been accepted or filed against Teagle, so the office did not have any information to provide about the case. Donnelly also said he could not confirm whether the DA’s office had received information about Teagle from Katy ISD.

“Right now, I’ve got nothing about Mr. Teagle in my system,” Donnelly said. “So we don’t comment unless and until charges have been accepted and we have them in our system. … We don’t confirm until we have a charge.”

Paetow opened in 2017, and its football team won the Class 5A Division I state championship last year under former head coach B.J. Gotte. The Panthers are 3-3 overall this year and have a 2-2 record in District 19-6A.

The team’s offensive coordinator, Trey Payne, also resigned this week, although he wrote on Twitter that his departure was unrelated to Teagle’s.

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