Oklahoma school district and coach faces lawsuit over alleged abuse and toxic culture

A federal lawsuit was filed last week against an Oklahoma school district and football coach,  who has been accused of inappropriate and abusive behavior.

More than half a dozen parents are suing the Ringling School District and Phillip Koons, a high school principal and football coach, alleging the district hired Koons despite knowledge of his reputation for abusing student athletes.

The lawsuit also names Koons’ two sons, Sterling and Cooper, and Ringling Superintendent Kent Southward as defendants. 

“The Ringling School District was a dangerous environment for its students,” the lawsuit claims. “Ringling School District created the danger or increased plaintiffs’ vulnerability to the danger by effectively ignoring the toxic culture Philip Koons maintained.” 

The lawsuit asserts Koons and his two sons, both assistant football coaches, enabled an environment of hazing, bullying, and harassment toward the football players at the high school.  

“With regard to Cooper Koons and Sterling Koons, they were complicit with their father in the abuse and discrimination that went on in the Ringling program,” attorney Tod Mercer said. “They were right there with it. Unfortunately, many of the boys have stories to tell. Cooper Koons or Sterling Koons were involved in all the different things: verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and especially mental abuse and racial discrimination.”  

In February 2023, Phillip Koons was placed on administrative leave after accusations surfaced that he bullied his athletes, and he resigned soon after.  

Koons had reportedly resigned from two prior positions after similar allegations were made.  

Koons was employed by Tuttle Public School for 21 years before resigning in Nov. 2016 amid “allegations of inappropriate and abusive behavior.” 

According to the lawsuit, several Tuttle students claimed Koons exposed his genitalia to them after a bad game, saying, “You gotta have one of these to play football.” 

Koons resigned a few days later after receiving intense social media backlash but kept his position as the middle school’s dean of students and as a teacher.  

Koons resigned from Tuttle in April 2014, and soon began working as the head football coach at Clinton High School where more allegations of misconduct were made, according to OCPA.  

Parents claimed all investigations into Koon’s misconduct were met with retaliation and ostracization by other players until the allegations were dropped. Parents also claimed Koons rewarded the players with extra playing time for ostracizing the accusers, according to OCPA.  

“Despite having knowledge of Koons’ prior sexual, physical, mental abuse and verbal attacks, the RSD did not notify law enforcement, the Department of Human Services, the Oklahoma State Department of Education or other parents until he was finally temporarily suspended,” the lawsuit claims.  

Koons was charged in October with outraging public decency, with sentencing scheduled for Mar. 12.  

Plaintiffs seek damages over $75,000, in addition to attorney fees and court costs.