Football coach at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High had romantic relationship with teen girl, police say
The head football coach at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High was booked into jail on Wednesday after police said he engaged in a romantic relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
Edward Williams, 44, was charged with a felony offense against a student by an authority figure. He remained jailed Wednesday afternoon at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He could not be reached for comment and it was not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney.
The girl told Miami-Dade Schools Police detectives that she and Williams “are in love and they are waiting for her to turn 18 in order to be together publicly as a couple.” She said the two had not had sex, according to an arrest report.
But text messages from Williams to the girl included: “I love you” and “I’m so heartbroken on how everything has turned out” and “please what if we make love one last time,” the arrest report said.
Miami-Dade Schools detectives on Wednesday found Williams on campus, and he admitted to the texts. But he claimed he “refers to all persons he speaks to with terms like ‘baby’ and tells everyone he loves them,” the police report said.
Williams claimed he was only “friendly” with the girl and had never touched her, the report said.
According to an online profile, Williams is a senior pastor at Jesus People Full of Faith Ministries in Pembroke Pines. He is married with two children.
The profile says that he graduated Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, attended Iowa State University and played football in the Canadian and the Arena Football leagues. He was named the head coach at HML in June 2020, according to a tweet by the school.
A Miami-Dade schools spokeswoman said that the district has now terminated Williams, who was an employee between 1999 and 2017 before returning last year.
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is disturbed to learn of this allegation. As soon as the anonymous tip surfaced on Tuesday, Miami-Dade Schools Police launched an investigation and an arrest was made,” the district said in a statement.
