JEFFERSONVILLE — A Jeffersonville High School football coach returned to the sidelines Friday night after serving a one-game suspension for using “inappropriate language” toward players, said Principal Jim Sexton.

The suspension for Red Devils’ assistant coach Matt Warren — a first-year JHS coach known by coaches and players as “Swanny” — was levied for the Aug. 27 game against Seymour and stemmed from accusations made in an anonymous letter sent to Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Stephen Daeschner, the school board and The Evening News. The letter claimed Warren, who is a paid  assistant with the football program,  made racist and threatening comments to  players who refused to be quiet during a return bus trip from Jeffersonville’s scrimmage against Owen Valley on Aug. 17.

The Evening News was unable to verify the source of the letter — which was signed “A very concerned parent” — and therefore will not print the details of the accusations made in the letter. However, Sexton said the letter led to him looking into the accusations as well as Warren’s subsequent suspension.  

“There was a comment that was inappropriately made,” Sexton said. “Therefore, I suspended him. I gave him a reprimand, but I have come to believe that some of the things in the letter didn’t happen.”

Bruce Jarboe — who, along with Warren, has been a long-time assistant to JHS head coach Bob Redman — said he came to The Evening News on his own last week after “receiving permission” from Redman to, in his words, “set the record straight.”

Jarboe made it clear that most of his conversation with an Evening News reporter was off of the record. However, he did acknowledge that Warren referenced the Ku Klux Klan while reprimanding some Jeff athletes.

He also conceded the statements Warren made are similar to the accusations made in the letter, but said he believes the person who wrote the letter took Warren’s comments out of context.

“It was totally wrong but it was said tongue-in-cheek, and it was blown way out of proportion,” Jarboe said. “If he had said what the letter said he said, I would have been in his face right there.”

Sexton said Jarboe’s account of events to The Evening News are in line with statements Jarboe and Warren made when he questioned them about the bus ride. There were black students on the bus.

“He told me he made comments about the Klan,” Sexton said in verifying Jarboe’s statement. “In this business, we must all scrutinize what we say in front of students and in the public.

“[Warren] has said that those comments were unwarranted, and they won’t happen again. He got into an area he didn’t need to be, and I can tell you he’s sorry. [But] the comments that he made, in particular, are not the comments that are in that letter.”

Sexton said after receiving reports from other coaches who were present on the bus, he was satisfied that Warren’s and Jarboe’s accounts were accurate and no further investigation was needed.

“What I did was ask the adults who were on the bus to document what they heard and perceived during that conversation,” Sexton said. “My suspension was based on my conversation with [Warren] and his admission. If there’s more, I’ll re-enter the situation.

“Right now, I’m satisfied with the discipline that I took. You don’t have to investigate something that someone admits.”

Sexton and Jarboe said they encourage the person who wrote the letter — and others who have similar concerns — to come forward.

“I wish the person would have signed it, so I could talk with them, but they didn’t,” Sexton said. “I always encourage people to take a stand if there’s something they feel is not right. Anonymous letters are sometimes hard to get to the bottom of.

“If that person wants to come out, tell them to come out,” Jarboe said. “We would like to know what their agenda is.”

Redman was not on the bus when the incident occurred and said he was only willing to address statements in the letter claiming players were scared to come forward for fear of reprisal.

Redman said his staff does not use intimidation as a tactic.

“That’s ridiculous,” Redman said. “That’s a ridiculous statement. Who knows what the agenda is, but that’s a ridiculous statement.”

Several inquiries were made to allow Warren — and any other witnesses who were involved — to tell their side of the story. The requests were denied.