A 25-year high school coaching veteran in Georgia is at risk of losing his job because he couldn’t provide a second urine sample on demand for a sample medical screening.
As reported by Atlanta CBS affiliate WSB, North Clayton High School girls basketball coach Fred Hill faces potential termination over his failure to produce an adequate second urine sample for a test that was needed for a worker’s compensation claim.
That, apparently, was enough to justify a violation of his contract, which warranted a dismissal.
Supporters of the coach were quick to rally to his defense, showing up at a potential termination hearing for the coach.
For his part, Hill provided more color behind why he failed to provide an adequate secondary sample in an interview with WSB.
“I said, ‘I got to go. I got to go.’ She was, like, ‘Just drank this water, boy,’” Hill said during the hearing.
Hill told the panel he had given a sample. He said his elderly dad was in the car and had been waiting for a while and was in pain.
“He was in the car so long his back was hurting,” Hill said.
Hill’s attorney said the coach gave enough of a sample before leaving. He used two cups of water as an illustration.
“Look at it. It’s close to what Concentra wanted,” (Hill’s lawyer Bourquaye) Thomas said during the hearing.
While Hill’s tenure is currently being decided by a panel, that decision could itself be overruled by the school board, which can decide whether to accept or reject the decision.
In the meantime, Hill and his lawyers hope that the panel itself will see the larger picture and look positively on his 25 years of service to the school.
“We’re talking about ending a 25-year career,” Bourquaye Thomas told WSB.
