Just hours before the Battle Creek Warriors of Tattnall County High School were to take the field against the Treutlen County Vikings Friday night, the Tattnall County Board of Education issued a statement that the head football coach of the Warriors had resigned his position.

According to the statement, the school and district became aware of an incident that allegedly occurred at football practice on Monday of last week where Coach Pat Collins was reported as using a racial slur to one of his players. When the Board heard of the incident, the administration followed personnel procedures and protocol and began an immediate investigation into the matter.

Within hours of receiving the allegations, Collins was put on indefinite suspension pending further investigation. During that suspension and investigation, a formal apology to the team was made on Wednesday, and for the betterment of the team, Coach Collins officially resigned his position as of Friday morning.

The Tattnall County Board of Education said, “His decision to resign reflects his personal choice to step away from the position and take responsibility for the circumstances surrounding the incident and its impact on our school community. We recognize that incidents such as this can have a significant impact on our students, families, staff, and the broader community. The district remains committed to handling matters such as this with fairness, integrity, and appropriate accountability while upholding the standards of respect and dignity we expect throughout our school system.”