A Georgia high school basketball coach, Dr. Philip McCrary, has been fired after being accused of striking some of the team’s players with a shoe.
According to WSB-TV, McCrary, the former coach of Columbia High School, was relieved after a parent of one of his former players revealed a video that showed him hitting one of the players with his shoe in a hotel room. The footage was allegedly filmed in November 2025 while the team was in the Bahamas for a basketball tournament.
The coach was so revered at the school that they named the gymnasium after him.
The termination occurred after the video was shown to officials from DeKalb County Schools. The parent who submitted the video stated that the incident profoundly impacted her son and that he confided in her after leaving the school. The mother said that it affected his mental health. Neither the mother nor the former student was identified.
“When I saw the video, I was heartbroken,” she said. “I was heartbroken because we trusted this man.”
The mom of the student athlete stated that the video showed McCrary forcing the player to lower his pants while they were in a hotel room. After the player does so, he hits the player several times with his shoe.
She then said that McCrary asked, “Why is it happening?” And the boy’s response was, ‘Because I invited a girl up to the room.”
She also revealed that the player wasn’t the only one the coach hit and that her son witnessed the incident as he was in the room when it happened.
When the media outlet contacted a spokesperson from the school district, they reportedly stated that they couldn’t comment on personnel matters, while saying that the safety of the students is the district’s highest priority. The person also confirmed that McCrary is no longer an employee at Columbia High School.
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