Korey Banks’ tenure as Santaluces’ head football coach lasted just over a month.
Korey Banks’ tenure as Santaluces’ head football coach lasted a month. The FHSAA is investigating allegations of improper recruiting. (Photo courtesy of Twitter)
The former Chiefs’ defensive back and ex-Boynton Beach defensive coordinator was hired Dec. 13 to help turn around the school’s struggling football program.
But the job offer was withdrawn Thursday amidst an ongoing Florida High School Athletic Association investigation, Banks confirmed Thursday.
Banks said Santaluces placed his hiring on hold before the holiday break after the FHSAA began investigating allegations of improper recruiting. It was rescinded Thursday.
Banks is accused of contacting Boynton Beach players and trying to lure them to Santaluces while he still was a Tigers assistant, leading to the FHSAA probe.
Banks denies the allegations.
“Look at the facts. Why would I recruit kids?,” he said. “What kid am I recruiting? If you want to recruit kids, wouldn’t it be a 5-star, 4-star, someone like that?
“I have not seen one guy go to Twitter and say, ‘I’m going to Santaluces.’ Not one guy. I just want my name back. That’s the biggest thing to me. You attack my name. It took me 25 years to get here.”
The FHSAA’s investigation remains open, and a ruling is not expected this week, according to spokesman Kyle Niblett.
Banks said he has been kept out of the loop regarding the probe.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” he said.
The Chiefs’ football program has struggled in recent years, finishing 0-25 during the past three seasons.
Jason Bradley stepped down as coach in November after going 0-10 in 2016. The school interviewed a handful of candidates before settling on Banks, who was named to the All-Area First Team as a senior in 1998 and finished his high school career with 15 interceptions.
He went on to play college football at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, where he made a couple of junior college All-America teams, and then at Mississippi State.
Banks signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and later spent 10 seasons in the Canadian Football League. He was named to nine CFL All-Star teams.
Banks said Thursday he is disappointed with Santaluces’ decision, but will move on from it.
“I’ve been through football my whole life,” he said. “I made a living off of it for 12 years. I know once they started talking about not letting me come back to the school until it (the investigation) was over, I knew it was over.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, because I was in it for the kids. The powers-that-be didn’t let it happen. It is what it is, and I’m just going to move on with life.”
