Anchor Bay football coach placed on leave amid investigation

A member of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame has been placed on administrative leave amid a Title IX investigation.

Fox 2 in Detroit reported that Anchor Bay coach Mike Giannone was missing from the sideline when the Tars lost to Eisenhower High School on Sept. 20. He was placed on leave on Sept. 18.

Giannone, who was inducted into the MHSFCA Hall of Fame in 2018 for on-field success at Chippewa Valley and Warren De La Salle, is also a physical education teacher at the district.

The district did not provide the reason for the decision, telling the TV station that it's a personnel matter and no further information would be released.

An anonymous parent told Fox 2 the players are committed to uniting behind their coach, but Giannone has been at the center of controversy in the past.

He was fired from De La Salle Collegiate in Warren in 2019 after some of his players were accused of hazing younger players. All charges were dropped against the seven students, but the scandal dragged on for a year before it was resolved.

The president of the school, John M. Knight, was also fired.

Giannone is in his third season at Anchor Bay. The Tars (2-2) are set to take on Romeo on Friday.