Englewood basketball coach Paul McPherson, a former NBA player, jailed on multiple charges

Paul McPherson, Englewood High School's now former boys basketball coach who played in the NBA, is facing multiple charges and sent to the Duval County jail on Thursday.

The 45-year-old also served as the school's security guard before his arrest on charges of five felony counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, three misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and a misdemeanor count of possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, according to Duval County Public Schools spokesman Tracy Pierce.

Pierce said he was arrested in Clay County, where court records show he lives, but the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation. The Times-Union has requested any related reports from both sheriff's offices.

"Under the presumption of innocence, he remains a district employee in a non-pay status, pending further action in the matter," Pierce said.

It has not been released whether the minor was an Englewood student.

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Englewood High Principal Marleny Chirino provided notification of the arrest to school families.

"The employee, Paul McPherson, was reassigned from our school to district duties with no student contact on Sept. 5 of this year following the initial allegations," part of her statement said. "While the presumption of innocence applies, I feel that it is important for you to know this has transpired. If you have information that you think might be helpful to law enforcement on this matter, I encourage you to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office directly. Again, this is disappointing news, but I always want to keep you informed."

No other details have been released, and jail records show McPherson was still in jail on $442,527 bail Thursday evening. It was unclear who is his attorney and when his first court appearance would be.

Court records in Clay and Duval counties only show a couple of recent traffic citations against McPherson and two filings for child support.

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The Times-Union reported his hiring in September 2022, and the team finished 5-14. McPherson, a 6-foot-4 guard, played 55 games in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors during the 2000-01 season and averaged 4.8 points per game. The Chicago native attended Tallahassee Community College before transferring to DePaul University, which was then under former Florida State head coach Pat Kennedy. McPherson averaged 11.2 points with the Blue Demons and has also played overseas and in the BIG3 basketball league.

Englewood High's website currently lists the Rams basketball coach as "TBA" or to be announced.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville basketball coach and former NBAer Paul McPherson arrested