Patrick Kugler, the offensive line coach for Austin Peay, has resigned following his arrest as part of a human trafficking investigation, the university announced.
In addition to his role as co-offensive coordinator, Kugler, a former offensive lineman at Michigan, faces a charge related to trafficking for sexual servitude.
“Austin Peay State University confirms the arrest of former football assistant coach Patrick Kugler, who resigned on Sunday, August 18,” the school stated in a message to the Leaf-Chronicle. “The Clarksville Police Department is handling the investigation, and further questions should be directed to them. Austin Peay will have no additional comments regarding the matter.”
His arrest was part of an undercover operation initiated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which aimed to uncover individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors, as noted in a TBI press release. Officers placed bait ads on popular websites associated with commercial sex, leading to six arrests.
Kugler’s bail has been set at $5,000. In Tennessee, trafficking for sexual servitude is a Class B felony, defined as when a person “knowingly subjects or maintains another in sexual servitude or intentionally recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides, or obtains by any means another person for the purpose of sexual servitude.”
Austin Peay is set to start the season on Saturday, August 31, against Louisville.
Kugler’s father, Sean Kugler, is a former head coach at UTEP and has an extensive background as a coach in both college and the NFL, as reported by Cobb.
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