When the Caroline High School boys basketball team suffered a three-point defeat to Martinsville in the 2001 Group AA state championship game, starting forward Eddie Freeman thought that would be his most devastating experience with the Cavaliers.
But 23 years later, Freeman suffered another heartbreak — dismissal as head coach of his alma mater after just one season and without any recourse.
Freeman was hired to replace Antoine Johnson at Caroline in 2023, while he worked full-time from home. He said he gave up a higher salary entering his second season so that he could make a greater impact on his players by working in the building as a long-term substitute teacher. He picked up a second job overnight to cover any financial shortfall.
However, after a total of three complaints from a student and a fellow teacher, Freeman was informed by officials from the Caroline County Public Schools Human Resources Department last month that he was being terminated as a substitute and head coach.
Parents and guardians of Caroline’s players have circulated a petition requesting his reinstatement. Supporters spoke up for Freeman at a Sept. 9 school board meeting, but others, including Freeman, were rebuffed by Board Chair Shawn Kelley, who said the board cannot address a personnel matter. Kelley declined to comment when reached by the Free Press, saying the board does not comment on personnel decisions.
Assistant coach Todd Manninen was reminded several times not to discuss personnel during the Sept. 9 board meeting but continued to show his support for Freeman by questioning the decision-making process and the coach’s lack of involvement in the investigation.
Mattie Taylor, the grandmother of one of the players, pleaded for the board to reinstate Freeman because of his ability to relate to young males who are “dropping by the dozens.”
“When my kids find someone who can reach them here, that’s magic,” said Taylor, pointing to her heart. “And it breaks my heart when they came home upset and it’s out of my hands. But I’m here and I’m asking you to take another look … When you’ve got someone who can communicate, allow them please.”
Former Caroline boys basketball coach Eddie Freeman encourages his players during a huddle last season.
To Freeman, the most troubling aspect of his dismissal is that he did not get a chance to address the complaints in a conversation with representatives from HR.
According to CCPS Superintendent Sarah Calveric, that’s because Virginia law does not require a grievance process for non-contract educators and seasonal coaches. Freeman, however, believed he deserved a chance to share his side of the story given his deep ties to the community.
“I’m concerned because throughout this entire investigation that led to my dismissal, nobody has cared to ask me any questions,” Freeman said. “I have served this community for over 15 years assisting with the recreation department, mentoring, coaching, refereeing and conducting youth basketball camps … I am a role model and mentor for the kids. I would not subject myself to any situation or behavior that would compromise and forfeit this opportunity.”
In addition to leaving his full-time work-at-home job to enter the building as a long-term substitute, Freeman noted that he gave up a higher-paying job as the head coach at King William High School, where he spent four seasons.
Freeman said he would accept the Caroline coaching job again if reinstated but he would remain employed full-time outside of the school division. He said it would also be satisfactory if he received a “fair investigation.”
“I was not a part of any investigation nor asked any questions regarding such nefarious statements said against me,” Freeman said. “I did not say any of those egregious statements and I completely disagree with how the investigation process was handled.”
Calveric said that while she cannot address personnel matters, she stands behind the decision that HR made, noting that it investigated the complaints and came to a conclusion that was also supported by the school board.
“In cases of employees who have been alleged to have engaged in misconduct, personnel from human resources would conduct an investigation,” Calveric said. “If the allegation is substantiated, appropriate disciplinary processes would be followed. Regarding termination, the school division strictly follows what the law requires for the specific employee. For example, the process for terminating a continuing contract teacher would be very different than the process for terminating a part-time employee, substitute or seasonal coach.”
Freeman said that the complaints concerned three separate issues: allegations that he used profanity around his players while offering encouragement; he allegedly asked a female student her mother’s name because he thought he may have known her from his ties to the community; and that he made a lewd comment about another teacher that was overheard by a co-worker.
Freeman denied inappropriate actions or conversations.
He and Manninen met with CCPS HR Director Paige Tucker on Sept. 4 and were told that the gathering was not an inquiry, but rather that the decision to fire him had already been made.
“She handed us a copy of the accusations that were written about me,” Freeman said. “Then, I asked, just to be clear, ‘This isn’t an investigation?’ She said, ‘No, you wanted to see the statements, here they are.’ Before leaving she asked if I wanted to leave a written statement. I wrote that I didn’t say those things.”
Freeman said he requested a conversation with Calveric on Sept. 13 to explain “what this county and this position means to me,” but the school chief declined, stating that it was not appropriate to discuss a board decision that was made during closed session.
Freeman and his supporters had hoped to make a last-ditch effort to save his job. But CCPS Communications and Community Engagement Specialist Kimberly Young said an offer was recently made to his replacement.
The next step is approval by the school board at its Nov. 11 meeting, which is around the time tryouts for the upcoming basketball season begin.
