Former Palmyra football coach makes first public comments since resigning as teacher

PALMYRA, Mo. — Expressing regret over what has transpired within the Palmyra football program and school district within the last six months, former Panthers coach Kevin Miles made his first public comments following his resignation as a teacher last week.

Miles spoke with Dave Roberts of the Salem (Mo.) News and said “All I can say at this point is I’ve made some mistakes.”

In February, Miles was hired as the head football coach and assistant athletic director at Salem, a Class 3 program located southeast of Rolla. The Tigers went 0-10 last season but are just two years removed from back-to-back district championships.

However, since his hiring at Salem, Miles was involved in a review by the Palmyra administration of three years worth of text messages involving four employees on one school-issued cellphone that revealed racial and homophobic comments and disregard and disrespect for students and other teachers.

Miles and the three other school district employees resigned last week after previously being put on administrative leave while the review was ongoing. The other three — assistant principal Marty Smyser and teachers Mark Hoerr and Tyler Krietemeyer — were assistant football coaches under Miles. Krietemeyer had been tabbed as Miles’ replacement as head coach.

Palmyra replaced Krietemeyer with Dalton Hill, a former all-state offensive lineman at Mark Twain who previously had been hired to be the strength and conditioning coach and an assistant football coach at Palmyra.

Salem superintendent Dr. Lynne Reed told the Salem News there was no information she could give at this time regarding Miles’ future employment with the Salem School District.

Miles told Roberts, “This is not who I am. I can’t say I’m sorry enough. I am ready to put things behind me. This is not the person I am. In my 24 years of teaching and coaching, I’ve had no issues any place else in my life. And I will not hide from anything. I care a lot about every aspect of my kids and their lives. I’m extremely embarrassed by this.”

He also told Roberts he’s ready to turn the page and focus on the Tigers’ program.

“I’m ready to come to Salem,” Miles said. “I have been very up front with them over some of the things that’s been going on. I’m ready to move on from them (the issues).”

Miles resigned as Palmyra football coach last November following an 0-10 season in which he served a one-game suspension at the beginning of the season for failure to supervise issues within the Panthers’ locker room. 

At the end of the season, Palmyra was forced to forfeit six games — one of which the Panthers won on the field — due to a self-reported violation of Missouri High School Activities Association bylaws regarding the number of quarters players are allowed to participate in each week.