ALEDO, Ill. — The Mercer County Golden Eagles will be without head coach Tanner Matlick for the foreseeable future.
On Monday, Oct. 14, the Mercer County school board suspended Matlick indefinitely. In a statement, Matlick expressed regret for his actions.
“There was an incident two weeks ago between myself and a player where I acted on emotion. I knew instantly that my behavior was out of line,” Matlick said. “I know that I was in the wrong, and that is the one thing, out of everything, if I could go back, I would handle much differently.”
According to the district superintendent, the suspension was "not the result of a singular event, but a culmination of a series of events resulting in a climate and culture below the expectations of the school district and the community."
At Wednesday’s school board meeting, members of the football team and the community gathered to show their support for Matlick. Some, like Junior High Assistant Coach Derek King, expressed dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled.
“I find it disgraceful that a decision to suspend Coach Matlick indefinitely was made shortly after a meeting with parents, and not a single coach was asked to be a part of that,” King said.
The school board has not made a decision on Matlick’s future. In the meantime, Jason Kennedy will serve as interim head coach and will lead the Golden Eagles in their game against Princeton on Friday. Matlick, who was in his second year as head coach at his alma mater, compiled a 9-8 overall record before the suspension.