A Kentucky high school basketball coach accused of grooming an underage student has been fired, though Shelby County Public Schools officials would not confirm whether the allegations directly led to the decision.
Chris Gaither, the head boys’ basketball coach at Martha Layne Collins High School, had been placed on paid leave on Dec. 11 while the district conducted an investigation.
“As of January 15, Chris Gaither is no longer employed with Shelby County Public Schools,” district spokesperson Joshua Rhodes told the Herald-Leader on Monday. “The employee was terminated by Superintendent Joshua Matthews, citing multiple Board of Education policies. However, due process continues.”
When asked whether the grooming allegations outlined in a publicly shared open letter contributed to Gaither’s termination, Rhodes said the decision involved “multiple board policies, not a single policy.”
Gaither had coached at Collins since the 2011–12 season. He was previously placed on paid leave from Nov. 17 to Nov. 25, 2025, briefly reinstated, and then placed on leave again in December.
“Allowing him to go back into the classroom would be a huge disservice to me, the girls who have similar stories involving him, and future female students,” former student Hayley Weddle wrote in an open letter addressed to the district and shared publicly. “I understand now that this man is a predator and he should be held responsible for his actions.”
In the letter, posted on Facebook last month, Weddle alleges Gaither sent her text and Snapchat messages, often late at night, while she was a student and team manager from fall 2012 until her graduation in 2014. She wrote that as graduation approached, the messages became increasingly provocative, including questions about her sexual history.
According to the letter, Gaither allegedly kissed Weddle two weeks after her graduation in June 2014 while she was babysitting his children at his home. The following day, she returned believing he would explain his actions, but instead he allegedly convinced her to have sex.
The Herald-Leader has contacted Gaither’s attorney for comment.
“School districts are limited in what they can comment on during personnel investigations due to required due process. Once those processes have fully concluded, we may be able to provide additional information,” Rhodes said.
After Gaither was briefly reinstated earlier this season, Collins went 3–1 with him coaching. Under interim coach Chris George, the Titans are now 6–10 overall and 2–1 in 30th District play.
Gaither finished his tenure at Collins with a career record of 297–150. He led the team to 8th Region titles in 2015, 2017, and 2020. The Titans reached the Boys’ Sweet 16 quarterfinals in 2017 and were eliminated in the first round in 2015. The 2020 state tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
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