Parent alleges Lincoln High coach used derogatory language and held 'shirts-and-skins' scrimmage
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Summary
At a Vincennes Community School Corp meeting, parent Jesse Easley alleged coach CJ Merrifield used derogatory language toward the girls' soccer team and staged 'shirts and skins' scrimmages that left players in sports bras; Easley said his daughter subsequently lost a starting role and awards, and he asked the board what steps would follow.
Jesse Easley, a parent and public commenter, told the Vincennes Community School Corp board that his daughter, Azaria Easley, a 3.9 GPA student-athlete at Lincoln High School, was subjected to inappropriate coaching conduct last season.
“My name is Jesse Easley, and I wanted to bring something to your attention,” Easley said in public comment, alleging that coach CJ Merrifield told the team at halftime that they were “playing ****” and that he held "shirts and skins" scrimmages in which some girls removed their pennies and ran around in their sports bras while a male coach and the boys' soccer team practiced one field over. Easley said he raised the concern with Dr. Duke and athletic director Chris Lancaster but was unsatisfied with the response; he quoted Lancaster as saying Merrifield “meant it like… a car.”
Easley said his daughter did not start the final five games of the season and did not receive awards despite season statistics that, he said, warranted recognition. “So I feel like CJ was holding a personal grudge against my daughter for me bringing attention to an inappropriate matter,” Easley said, and asked the board what the next steps would be because he wants his daughter to continue playing while feeling safe.
Board members acknowledged Easley’s comment but the transcript records no public announcement of an investigation or formal follow-up during that meeting. The public-comment period item concluded when the chair thanked Easley and the board moved to the next agenda item.
The transcript identifies the complaint in public comment but does not record any formal disciplinary action, an investigation plan, or a staff report on the matter during the meeting. The board did not read individual vote tallies or establish next steps on the record in that session.
