"I don't really want to talk about that, OK?" Nelson said. In fact, he seemed downright irritated that yet another reporter was on the other end of his phone. When first contacted earlier this month, Nelson seemed to be an unwilling participant in the red-hot controversy. We'd get to the controversy over lunch at a chicken fingers restaurant, but first, Nelson wanted to explain how he gained the moniker that has followed him for much of his life. When Nelson secretly recorded a conversation in Propst's office nearly a year ago in which the coach unexpectedly suggested that the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to recruits, he had no idea of the far-reaching ramifications his decision would have. I think most of them know I was only trying to do the right thing." "About half of the people are glad I did it, and about half are mad at me. "I think the town is split about what I did," Nelson said. That's why earlier that morning, Nelson abruptly changed the rendezvous place for an interview with this reporter from Valdosta to Ashburn, about 70 miles north, out of fears that he might be recognized. It became the highest-profile development in a 15-month saga of small-town, big-time high school football featuring a controversial firing (and subsequent discrimination lawsuit), Propst's even more controversial hire, a battle over Touchdown Club finances, the addition and then loss of an elite transfer quarterback from California, and the launching of an investigation by the Georgia High School Association. After a recorded meeting between Nelson and Propst was posted to YouTube earlier this month, Valdosta placed Propst, its coach, on administrative leave. What Nelson did last May might very well end the career of Rush Propst, one of the most controversial and successful high school football coaches in the country, while also exposing salacious allegations regarding recruiting at SEC superpowers Alabama and Georgia. Nelson knows he can't be too careful after he sparked a small-town tempest in the high school football hotbed of Valdosta, a city of more than 56,000 residents located about 15 miles north of the Florida state line and home to the 24-time state-champion Wildcats. Nelson turned to a rather imposing assistant coach from a nearby high school who had followed him there in an SUV to ensure his safety. Nelson, the 65-year-old former executive director of the Valdosta Touchdown Club, smiled and said, "Hey, I'm Nub. Two weeks ago, Michael "Nub" Nelson climbed out of his Toyota Corolla in a parking lot off Interstate 75 and approached. Lawsuits, secret taping and the unraveling of a powerhouse high school football programĪSHBURN, Ga. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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