The head football coach at Meridian High School has been terminated.
Martez Edwards was placed on leave in May after an “inappropriate photo” of him began circulating on social media. During a Monday meeting, the Meridian Public School District’s Board decided to officially terminate Edwards.
Related: Meridian football coach on leave after “inappropriate photo” appears online
The district did not provide any further comment on the decision, but the minutes of the meeting state that after a discussion by the board, they voted to uphold Superintendent Dr. Amy Carter’s decision to terminate Edwards.
After the meeting, Edwards told the Meridian Star that he intends to appeal the decision, saying that he doesn’t feel that he was evaluated fairly. Edwards also told the Star that the photo was originally sent to a woman that he was dating and claimed that it was illegally obtained and posted to social media.
If Edwards loses his appeal, he will never coach a game at Meridian High School as he was hired in January to replace Calvin Hampton, who resigned after the team finished with a 4-7 record last season.