Garinger High School football coach DeAngelo Lloyd has been suspended because of an incident involving an assistant coach, a source familiar with the situation told The Charlotte Observer on Monday.
The source said Lloyd, 45, was suspended last Wednesday and did not coach in Friday’s game against Butler, which Garinger lost 63-7.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that Lloyd was suspended with pay, effective last Wednesday.
Privacy laws prohibit CMS from releasing more information in the case, officials said.
An assistant coach at Garinger is facing three criminal charges, according to Mecklenburg court records. Jeremy Jermaine Parmes, 35, was charged on Sept. 17 with felony assault by strangulation and with two misdemeanors — communicating threats and simple assault.
According to records, Parmes punched, slapped and strangled another person and said, “I’m going to kill you.” A judge set a secured bond at $5,000.
Interim coach Joshua Wells coached in last Friday’s game and has been named interim head coach, according to a CMS spokesperson. Garinger plays at East Mecklenburg (0-5) on Friday.
Garinger (0-5) has been outscored 262-13 this season. The Wildcats have lost 31 straight games and haven’t won since beating Berry 22-0 in September 2021.
Efforts by The Observer to reach Lloyd and Garinger athletic director Brian Bourque were unsuccessful.
The source said there was an incident at a Garinger practice last week involving an assistant coach and a player and that Lloyd was suspended the next day following a meeting with CMS administrators.
Lloyd was hired last April, just a few months after The Observer named him one of the greatest Charlotte high school football players of the past 40 years .
He was an All-American at Independence in the 1990s and was a former Observer high school football player of the year. Lloyd played in college at Tennessee and was on the Vols’ 1998 national championship team.
A change.org petition, asking CMS to reinstate Lloyd , had received more than 140 signatures as of late Tuesday morning.
It read:
“Coach Lloyd has been more than just a coach for the community of Garinger. He has played multiple roles ranging from mentor, confidant, to a father figure for the students and has been instrumental in shaping the lives of numerous student-athletes. Not only has he excelled in the duties of a coach, but he has also extended his influence beyond the football field, instilling in our children valuable life lessons and serving as a shining beacon of inspiration.
“Our boys have not only lost an outstanding coach but a dedicated figure ever present in their lives. Therefore, we urge the Garinger High School administration to reconsider their decision and reinstate Coach Lloyd as head coach. Restoring Coach Lloyd to his position will not only be a victory for the team but a triumph for the community that holds him in high regard.”
Wells will be the sixth person to coach Garinger football since the 2019 season.
Jeff Caldwell coached the Wildcats in 2019, and Chris Price took over for the COVID-delayed spring 2021 season. Shon Galloway then coached in the fall 2021 and 2022 campaigns, and Josh Williams took over last season.
Garinger’s last state football championship was in 1959, and the Wildcats last made the state playoffs in 2008. The football program endured a 51-game losing streak from 2011 to 2017.
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