CLOVER, S.C. (WBTV) - A former high school student-athlete with the Clover School District filed a lawsuit against the district this month, alleging he was assaulted by a former coach in October 2024.
On Aug. 13, the former student filed a lawsuit against the Clover School District and named former teacher and coach Graham Stafford.
The student alleged that Stafford assaulted him during a class soccer scrimmage in October 2024. The student also alleged that the school district did nothing to protect him following the alleged assault.
The student, who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged assault, was a student-athlete at Clover High School and a member of the boys’ soccer program. Stafford, a teacher at Clover High School, was a coach with the district’s boys’ soccer program.
In the lawsuit, the former student alleges that Stafford got aggressive on Oct. 2, 2024, during a scrimmage in soccer class.
During the scrimmage, Stafford placed the soccer ball at midfield and turned away, and the student moved the ball, the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit goes onto allege that Stafford charged at the student, grabbed him by the throat, and “forcefully drove” him into the ground.
The lawsuit claimed that that the former student did nothing to provoke or threaten Stafford. The alleged assault happened in front of students in the middle of class and was caught on surveillance cameras, the lawsuit said.
In the lawsuit, the student claimed that district officials were aware of the surveillance video of the alleged attack, but did not report it to law enforcement.
The York County Sheriff’s Office learned about the alleged assault nearly two weeks later, after the student’s father reported it, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit said a deputy reviewed the video and saw Stafford quickly approach the student and allegedly push him. On Oct. 19, 2024, Stafford was charged with third-degree assault and battery, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, Stafford joined a pretrial intervention program and was required to write an apology to the student.
In the apology, according to the lawsuit, Stafford admitted that on Oct. 2, 2024, he “acted wrongly and inappropriately.” Stafford also said he “should have had more sense with the experience that I’ve had in the game coaching for 27 years.” Stafford also said in the apology he was “not sure what I was trying to prove to either myself or my players” and that he was “the sole reason” the relationship with student “broke down.”
The district placed Stafford on leave for one week and then allowed him to resign from his position, the lawsuit said.
Days after the alleged assault, Stafford met with the student’s parents and allegedly told them their son had been “pushing his buttons,” according to the lawsuit.
Stafford also told his parents that the student needed to “toughen up,” according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claimed that days after speaking with his parents, Stafford said the boy’s father was “weak” and “raised his son wrong” and tried to pressure the student into saying the alleged assault was a “flop” and “wasn’t a big deal.”
According to the lawsuit, the district did take reasonable steps to protect the student from further contact with or pressure from Stafford following the assault.
The lawsuit claimed that before Oct. 2, 2024, Stafford allegedly had a history of losing his temper and using physical force.
According to the lawsuit, Stafford had allegedly done things like grabbing a student by the throat and shoving him against a locker, and slide-tackling a student during soccer training and breaking the student’s leg.
The lawsuit also claims that Stafford “engaged in hostile and aggressive confrontations with players and players’ parents,” creating a hostile environment for the student-athletes.
The lawsuit alleges that Stafford paid for the medical expenses of the boy who broke his leg in an effort to keep the situation out of the spotlight.
The lawsuit also claims that Stafford’s alleged conduct toward students was “known to other coaches, teachers and administrators of the district.”
In the lawsuit, his attorneys argue that the school district should have known about Stafford’s history of alleged violent conduct toward students.
The student is seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be determined by a jury.
The Clover School District released the following statement regarding the lawsuit.
“Clover School District (CSD) is unable to comment on pending litigation at this time. CSD takes student safety very seriously.”