FAYETTEVILLE -- Former Fayetteville football coach Daryl Patton addressed his team Thursday and said "he'd made a mistake and was paying dearly for it," several players in the meeting said.
The players, all speaking on condition of anonymity, said Patton, 47, was fighting emotions as he told the team he was stepping down as their coach "for personal and family reasons."
They also said Patton talked about a card he issued to team members that read "Think before you do it." He did not follow his own advice, Patton said.
The players said Patton, who coached Fayetteville to 4 Class 7A titles and 2 runner-up finishes in 13 seasons, told the team he did not feel like he could hold them to the highest standards if he couldn't hold himself to those same standards.
Several messages and texts to Patton seeking a comment have not been returned.
Fayetteville school Superintendent Paul Hewitt said the school conducted an investigation of Patton, but the investigation is now concluded and does not involve any criminal allegations. The school district has not released any details as to what led to the resignation.
"The investigation is over, but sometimes new things do pop up," Hewitt said. "I've been looking into this for several days."
Hewitt accepted Patton's resignation, and he said the coach was not forced to resign.
"This definitely was not forced in any way, shape or form," Hewitt said. "I did not ask for his resignation. He voluntarily gave it to me.
"That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, because I really liked that guy."
Hewitt was also in attendance at Thursday's team meeting.
"He met with his coaches and then he met with his players," Hewitt said. "It was a very emotional meeting. He admitted he made a mistake and that he needed to focus on family."
Patton told the team Thursday this was the most difficult decision he'd ever made. When comparing it to his leaving his hometown of Bryant for the Fayetteville job in 2003, Patton said, "This is a thousand times harder than that."
The Bulldogs are in the middle of spring football practices, with the annual Purple-White game scheduled for May 20.
Fayetteville Athletic Director Steve Janski said Friday the district would form a search committee to find a new coach.
"We are putting together a great committee of parents, former players, and administrators to find the right person to lead the Bulldogs in the 2016 season," Janski said in a news release.
Patton, who was paid $80,766 as the head coach, came to Fayetteville from Bryant in 2003 and compiled a 136-43-2 record in 13 seasons. He is 160-63-2 overall, including a 34-20 mark in five seasons at Bryant.
Offensive coordinator Benji Mahan has been named interim coach for the remainder of the school year.
On Friday, another Fayetteville football coach, defensive tackles assistant Lucious "Trey" Selmon, resigned from his position with the Fayetteville School District. Selmon is the son of former Oklahoma All-American defensive lineman Lucious Selmon, who was college football's defensive player of the year in 1973.
Sports on 05/14/2016