Colquitt County’s Propst place on leave pending investigation

MOULTRIE — The buzz circling the Colquitt County and its football program now are focused on the suspension of Propst after the school system placed him on indefinite leave with pay. Propst has been at the helm of the Colquitt County football program since 2008 and the Packers have won two state titles and have finished as state runner-ups in the last two seasons. In Colquitt County, like other south Georgia communities, football is a big deal.

The Colquitt County Schools board of education made the decision, which was confirmed by superintendent Doug Howell to WALT-TV in Albany. No details were made public regarding the matter, though Howell confirmed it involves an investigation.

Propst, who received the news Tuesday, has been highly successful and highly controversial throughout his prominent high school career. He rose to notoriety as the centerpiece of the MTV show, “Two-A-Days,” which followed his Hoover (Ala.) program. He resigned from Hoover, where he won five state titles, in 2007 among a series of off-the-field issues, some he admitted to and others he denied.

At Colquitt, Propst is 119-35 with two state titles and state runner-up finishes the past two seasons. His demonstrative sideline antics have drawn the ire of opponents, and he was suspended for a year in 2016 by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for head-butting a player’s helmet the previous season. He won an appeal on the matter and was allowed to coach in 2016.

Propst has won nearly 300 games in his career in Alabama and Georgia.