High school football coach accused of lewd conduct toward student, FL cops say

The head coach of a high school football program with three state championships to its credit is facing accusations of lewd behavior toward a female student, according to investigators in Florida.

Tyler Eden, 31, is also a teacher at Bartow High School, where the offenses are alleged to have occurred in a locker room, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 17 news release.

Eden, who was named head coach in March 2023, is accused of using community service projects as a way to lure potential victims into a locker room where “there are no cameras,” investigators say.

“The investigation began on April 2, 2025, after a parent reported inappropriate conversations Mr. Eden had with their daughter when the student met with him to perform extra-curricular work for community service hours,” the sheriff’s office said.

Multiple charges stem from an incident in the locker room when a student’s “hoodie jacket got caught ... and the zipper broke open,” officials said.

“The hoodie served as her top, so she asked Mr. Eden for a T-shirt that she could put on. ... Eden responded by reaching out and unzipping her jacket all the way, at which point she told him that she was uncomfortable,” the sheriff’s office reported.

Eden “eventually handed her a T-shirt” to put on in a private area and “when she turned around, he was standing right behind her, watching her,” officials said.

“He then complimented her bra, and told her repeatedly there were no cameras there. The victim told Eden she was uncomfortable, at which time Eden asked her not to report the incident,” the sheriff’s office said.

The student reported it to her parents and school administrators, officials said.

When questioned, Eden said he provided the student with a shirt and “attempted to help her fix her zipper,” officials said.

Eden was put on administrative leave and charged with felony lewd offense against a student by an authority figure, felony lewd and lascivious touching of a minor, and misdemeanor voyeurism, the sheriff’s office said.

“Not only is this highly inappropriate behavior by a teacher, imagine just how frightened this student was,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a news release.

“Here was the head football coach who was already discussing lewd behavior, unzipping her clothes, then following her into a locker room where he remarked there are no cameras, and complimenting her undergarments.”

Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid issued a statement commending the sheriff’s office for its “thorough investigation.”

“It’s unconscionable that an educator and coach would engage in this kind of behavior with students,” Heid said in the release.

Bartow is about a 45-mile drive east from Tampa.

This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 10:15 AM with the headline "High school football coach accused of lewd conduct toward student, FL cops say."