Collierville basketball coach Cedric Henderson resigned after code of conduct investigation, records show
Wynston Wilcox
Cedric Henderson resigned as interim Collierville boys basketball coach after he was accused of cursing at players, requiring them to skip remote learning classes to attend workouts and using a racial slur, according to emails and texts obtained in an open records request by The Commercial Appeal.
Henderson, a former NBA and Memphis Tigers player, was interim coach for about three months before he resigned Jan. 20. He was under investigation for violation of code of conduct, according to the school.
Henderson has denied all allegations against him.
"The claims made against me in regards to my resignation at Collierville High School are short-sighted and only telling one side of the story," Henderson said in a statement. "I was forced into resignation after an incomplete and biased investigation. I am a coach who stands for high moral character and academic achievement.
"The practices taken by the Collierville School District to force my resignation without ample time to consider my options were unprofessional and an abuse of power."
In an email sent to Collierville principal Roger Jones, one parent said that basketball at Collierville “has become a nightmare.”
Henderson was verbally abusive to players and used a racial slur, according to the email.
"My question is, who's holding the Coaches to the same high standards and code of conduct you're having the Student-athlete follow?" the parent said in the email.
Henderson also required his players to work out during class time while Collierville was doing remote instruction earlier this month, according to records from the school.
COACHING CHANGE:Collierville names Shawn Taggart third boys basketball coach this school year
FUTURE OF MAHS:'Our mentality hasn't changed': Cedric Miller optimistic about MAHS's future
Collierville submitted a waiver to the Tennessee Department of Education to go to remote learning from Jan. 11-14, with 14% of teachers, 14% percent of students and 29% of staff in quarantine due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
In order for the waiver to be approved, Collierville needed to cancel all extracurricular activities during the request period. Collierville suffered forfeit losses to Bartlett and Houston on Jan. 11 and Jan. 14, respectively.
Teams could have optional workouts, but they had to be held off campus.
One player asked Henderson if he could work out after school because of a conflict with one of his classes, according to text messages. Henderson told the player to bring his computer and leave the camera on and muted while attending the workout.
In a separate email thread, Jones questioned Henderson about players skipping class to attend workouts.
“This is completely unacceptable,” Jones said during the email exchange. “In addition, faculty and staff members were informed that we could not resume practices, workouts, games, etc. until Saturday, January 15.”
Teacher Charlotte Martin brought to Jones’ attention that students were missing her class all week to attend Henderson’s workout sessions.
“I feel as though it is blatant that we are not prioritizing the student part of the student-athlete,” Martin said in their email to Jones. "These students have missed 4 days of instruction.”
Henderson was hired as interim coach after Scott Robinson resigned in October due to personal reasons. He went 11-5.
Shawn Taggart was named interim coach on Jan. 21. Taggart was an assistant coach on Collierville’s 2021 team that made a state semifinal appearance and was part of the 2007-08 Memphis Tigers team that played for a national championship.
Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on Twitter @wynstonw__.