Tempe board votes to fire HS coach accused of helping opponents

PHOENIX – The Valley high school coach accused of sharing inside information with opposing football teams is one step closer to being fired.

The Tempe Union High School District Governing Board voted 4-0 on Wednesday to dismiss Justin Hager, a teacher and coach at Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix.

The board cited two charges, unprofessional conduct and improper use of district technology.

“Specifically, by sending information regarding the varsity team plays to opposing coaches, Mr. Hager failed to act in the best interest of his students,” the district said in a press release. “Furthermore, he failed to act with honesty and integrity by anonymously sending information with malicious intent over the past three years.

“His use of district property to further these activities is a further violation of district policy.”

Hager now has 10 days to request a hearing about the decision. If he doesn’t respond by the 10th day, he’ll be officially fired, the release said.

He attempted to resign last month after being accused of sharing protected information about the football team with opposing coaches since 2017.

But the governing board chose to reject the resignation and instead move ahead with termination proceedings.

Hager was the varsity girls basketball coach, an assistant football coach and a physical education teacher at Mountain Pointe.

The district has said it learned he’d been sharing “protected information about formations, game plans, signals and player eligibility with opposing coaches.”

Officials were tipped off by football coaches at Faith Lutheran, a Las Vegas high school that played against Mountain Pointe in August.

Last month, the executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association, which oversees high school sports in the state, said schools on the receiving end of Hager’s information could be subject to punishment.

“If it is found that there was some egregious issue in being culpable with this, then the board could eliminate that team from postseason play,” David Hines told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Bruce St. James and Pamela Hughes on Sept. 19.

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