Matthew Curtis Jones, a Volunteer Football Coach at South Pittsburg High School, has been removed from his duties after a DUI arrest in Hamilton County on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
Authorities have confirmed that 52-year-old Coach was charged with driving under the influence, following too closely, and failure to apply due care after a crash involving his red Ford Mustang on Hixson Pike.
According to the arrest report, the officials observed Jones moving slowly while standing still and noted that his eyes appeared glazed and glassy.
When asked about the incident, Jones first claimed the vehicle ahead of him had “slammed on their blakes,” then corrected himself to “brakes.”
The coach also admitted to drinking “too much the night before,” later saying that he had consumed “a little more than a pint of whiskey.”
Deputies reported that Jones failed a field sobriety test and was taken to the Hamilton County Jail.
Marion County Director of Schools Mark Griffith confirmed via email that Jones has been fired from his job as a volunteer for coaching duties at South Pittsburg High School.
Hamilton County Schools also confirmed his employment with the district, but declined to comment further on his job status.
From Hero to Headlines
This isn’t the first time Jones has made headlines, though, for very different reasons.
Back in June 2019, while he was the head football coach at Central High School in Hamilton County, Jones was seen as a hero.
On Monday morning, June 10, 2019, Jones noticed a 7-year-old boy playing near the surf while his mother, with an infant, struggled to keep watch over her older child. The family was on a vacation in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Two red flags warned the individuals that the waters were closed due to dangerous tides, but within moments, the child was swept more than 40 yards out into the Gulf of Mexico.
Without thinking twice, Jones sprinted into the water just after 8 a.m. While fighting the strong current, he reached the boy and managed to pull him toward safety, where the child’s father met them about 15 yards from shore.
Jones later admitted the rip currents were complex even for him to swim through, saying he simply “powered through” to save the boy’s life.
Reflecting afterward, Jones told local reporters that, as a teacher and a father, his instincts had taken over. “Kids always want to know what it takes to be successful,” he said.
“To be successful you’ve just got to make the play you’re expected to make. I looked over this situation, and it was just like my wife put in her Facebook post — God put the right man in the right place at the right time. I just felt like it was my play to make.”
Jones said he hoped the incident would remind others to see warning flags and respect dangerous water conditions.
The dramatic rescue earned him widespread praise and a reputation at the time as both a coach and a community role model; however, he now faces jail time due to an unethical incident.
