Football coach quits, accused of sending porn to kids

BEAL CITY, Mich. (AP) - A high school football coach in mid-Michigan who led his teams to five state championship games resigned after officials accused him of sending pornography to student-athletes, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Lou Rau resigned in a text message when Beal City officials offered to meet with him earlier this month, the Morning Sun in Mount Pleasant reported (http://bit.ly/1uchHit ), citing documents released under a public records request.

Rau "engaged in unprofessional conduct" that included "inappropriate communication with student-athletes, including, but not limited to, sending pornographic material to minors," Superintendent William Chilman said in a letter to PCMI Staffing Services, an outside contractor that employed Rau as coach and substitute teacher in the small district, 80 miles north of Lansing.

The Associated Press left a message at Rau's home seeking comment.

"The complaints were made verbally by multiple parents," Chilman said.

The Isabella County sheriff's department is also investigating but no charges have been filed.

Beal City High School, with roughly 220 students, is a football powerhouse in Division 8. It has made 32 playoff appearances, more than any other school in Michigan, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association website.

Rau, 45, is a Beal City graduate who had coached the Aggies since 2000. He won a state championship in 2009, and his teams advanced to four other championship games.

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Information from: Morning Sun, http://www.themorningsun.com/