Derrick McDowell among 4 Farmington basketball coaches fired amid sexual assault investigation


Farmington has removed four coaches from its boys basketball staff, including varsity head coach Derrick McDowell, amid an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct accusations within the program.

The school initially had removed an unnamed coach from the program Monday after students came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct that occurred at a coaches home in Detroit. Athletes reportedly were at the coach’s home for a study session when a coach allegedly stood naked over a group of boys.

Now, reports have surfaced that McDowell and at least three other coaches have been terminated from the program for knowing about the alleged misconduct and not reporting it. Fox 2 specifically named McDowell as one of the coaches terminated and Farmington now lists its head coach position as “Not assigned” on its Michigan High School Athletic Association boys basketball webpage.

McDowell was a big hire for Farmington in August of 2021, as he brought in years of coaching experience from the collegiate and high school level. McDowell won a Class A state championship in 2015 as head coach of the undefeated Detroit Western International basketball team. He also spent time on the sidelines as an assistant coach for Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan over his nearly 40-year coaching career.

The school district has yet to release the names of all the coaches fired. The district released a statement Tuesday.

“Last week, Farmington High School learned of an allegation of potential improper conduct between a non-(Farmington Public Schools) employee basketball coach and some players,” the statement said. “We immediately terminated the coach and revoked his credentials to access our facilities.”

The district also said in its statement that the remaining coaches were removed for not meeting “required threshold as mandatory reporters to ensure the safety and well-being of student athletes” and were not accused of improper sexual behavior.


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