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Parents meet in support of Lone Peak football coach

Posted at 8:48 PM, Feb 27, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-28 10:36:40-05

ALPINE, Utah - A group of parents met Wednesday night in support of the Lone Peak High School football coach who resigned earlier this week amid allegations of financial mismanagement.

They say parents upset about playing time started a witch hunt to find a way to get coach Tony McGeary in trouble.

Around 50 parents gathered in an Alpine home on Wednesday to discuss McGeary's resignation, something they say is confusing.

"My son called me he had notified the team in a team meeting Monday morning. My son was in tears, all the players were in tears and as a parent you're like, 'Oh, my gosh why is this happening,'" said Howard Hannemann, father of a football player.

Many of the parents in attendance see Lone Peak football as more than a sports program, and see McGeary as more than a coach.

"We specifically moved to Lone Peak because we'd heard such great things about the football program," said Stacy Ure, mother of a football player.

They want McGeary reinstated, and any news that the coach wants to come back.

"Any rumors that you've heard that he wants to go to another program is not the case."

McGeary tendered his resignation on Monday, but on Wednesday, Mike Hall read a letter from the coach, who resigned to save the program from pain, not because he'd done anything wrong.

The allegations were made in a 42-page complaint filed by a parents' group claiming that the coach took a deal with the apparel company Under Armour without having the authority to do so and that he charged extra for a football camp at the College of Eastern Utah so he could be paid more.