UPDATED August 20 with a response from Perryton ISD.
The father of a female student-athlete is suing Perryton Independent School District and the district’s now-former athletic director, who was arrested earlier this year for enticing the girl via Snapchat and sexually assaulting her on campus multiple times when she was 15 years old.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges coach Cole Underwood was hired by Perryton from Amarillo ISD, despite Underwood’s known history of inappropriate behavior with female students that reportedly earned him the nickname “Perv.”
According to the lawsuit, Underwood was “well known within the school district’s staff and athletic department for having inappropriate relationships and interactions with students, including minor female students.”
The lawsuit alleges Underwood “regularly texted female students” and used “social media platforms, including Snapchat, to communicate with students” while in Amarillo, and that he continued the “grooming” behavior at Perryton.
Despite his history of inappropriate conduct with female students and his widespread nickname as “Perv” during his tenure at Amarillo ISD, Underwood was hired by Perryton ISD in 2022 by the former Athletic Director, who coached with Underwood at Amarillo ISD. Similar to Underwood, the former Athletic Director dealt with a sexual assault case during his employment at Perryton ISD as described below.
Further, the former Athletic Director was aware that Underwood had been placed on administrative leave while employed by Amarillo ISD and that certain coaches at AHS were critical of Underwood’s behavior around female student-athletes.
Underwood, 29, was arrested in late April and charged with sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony.
In June, federal authorities charged Underwood with enticement of a minor.
Following his first arrest, Underwood had reportedly continued to communicate with the girl—who he met at a track meet when she was in junior high—and coerced her to tell people they wanted to get married.
A 2013 graduate of Perryton ISD, Underwood was the district’s athletic director and head football coach at the time of his arrest. He previously taught and coached at Amarillo High School from 2017 until 2022.
The student whom Underwood is charged with sexually assaulting multiple times was a member of the Perryton girls’ basketball team.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, the girl told law enforcement Underwood had sex with her in his office more than a dozen times between February and May.
She said that after she added him as a contact on Snapchat, he established a personal friendship with her.
She said that Mr. Underwood began messaging her in a flirtatious and sexual manner in December, and eventually used Snapchat to arrange sexual encounters.
A search of the girl’s cell phone revealed multiple late-night conversations – some lasting more than six hours – between her and Mr. Underwood, who allegedly occasionally referred to the child as “wifey” and told her he loved her.
Underwood’s now ex-wife worked for the district as director of communications and safety at the time and still does.
The criminal complaint states that surveillance video allegedly showed Underwood meeting with the girl alone after hours, despite being given a specific directive not to be alone with her.
Investigators reviewed the video and saw Underwood prop open an exterior door and shut off the lights. About 15 minutes later, the girl entered the darkened building through the open door and went into Underwood’s office.
If convicted of the federal charges, Underwood faces up to life in federal prison.
Perryton ISD Superintendent Greg Brown reportedly responded to Underwood’s arrest by calling it “a blow” to the district’s football program.
The lawsuit documents a series of allegations made against Underwood while at Amarillo ISD.
It also documents multiple instances in which Perryton ISD students, teachers, coaches, and community members allegedly warned district administrators about Underwood’s inappropriate relationship with the female athlete.
According to the complaint, students and coaches feared retaliation if they spoke out against him.
The lawsuit claims that while acting as the newly appointed athletic director of Perryton ISD in 2023, Underwood cultivated a “friendship” with the 15-year-old girl through meetings in his office to discuss various topics, including the demise of his relationship with his wife.
Underwood allegedly employed this same strategy with other female student-athletes at Amarillo ISD and Perryton ISD. As far back as September 2023, a female student at Perryton ISD referred to Underwood as a “pedophile” during a discussion with other female friends.
The lawsuit states that Perryton ISD is a state actor acting under the color of state law, and alleges that Underwood as Athletic Director was a policymaker for the district.
The complaint accuses Perryton ISD and Underwood of civil rights violations; claims Title IX violations against the district; and accuses Underwood of sexual exploitation of children, gross negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The girl’s parent is seeking actual and punitive damages and equitable relief preventing Perryton ISD from retaliating against any witnesses in the case.
“Teachers and coaches at Perryton ISD, with the tacit approval of Perryton ISD, have created and encouraged a culture rife with inappropriate abuse and sexual abuse of minors within the school district by Perryton ISD employees, all of which is amplified by Perryton ISD’s conscious decision to hire known perpetrators and delegate them in positions of power within Perryton ISD,” the lawsuit concludes. “The abuse is ongoing; children continue to be victimized.”
Perryton ISD’s Director of Communications and Safety Dacey Smith told Texas Scorecard, “We strongly disagree with the characterization of the conduct and alleged ‘facts.’ We acted in compliance with applicable laws, and our Administration responded appropriately to all reports it received.”
Smith referred Scorecard to an August 9 press release for further information.
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