Fmr. Austin Peay coach arrested, charged following human trafficking probe

A resignation followed the arrest of a college football coach as Tennessee officials launched an undercover operation against human trafficking.

Six men were arrested and seven individuals were recovered after a two-day operation in the Montgomery County area saw the coordination of multiple agencies. Among those taken into custody was 29-year-old Patrick Kugler, who promptly resigned from his position with the Austin Peay State University football team.

Now formerly a co-offensive coordinator for the Governors, Kugler had been an offensive lineman with the Michigan Wolverines.

According to the press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI), starting on Aug. 16 the undercover operation had posted decoy advertisements on websites previously identified as having links to prostitution and commercial sex.

Six men were arrested in Clarksville during a recent investigation into human trafficking.

DETAILS: https://t.co/aqwpJrp63H

— Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) August 22, 2024

The suspects were said to have arrived at a hotel, according to WKRN, where Kugler had allegedly paid an undercover officer $100 for sex.

With an expected court appearance on Sept. 4, the former coach was charged with one count of Trafficking for Sexual Servitude and had a bond set at $5,000.

Charges for the other individuals arrested included Promoting Prostitution, Possession of Firearm during Commission of Dangerous Felony, and Solicitation of a Minor with bonds ranging from $5,000 to $145,000 in the case of 34-year-old Andre Johnson who faced the latter two charges in addition to Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.

A statement from the Austin Peay State University Athletic Department acknowledged the resignation and arrest, but little else as it read, “Austin Peay State University is aware of the arrest of former football assistant coach Patrick Kugler, who resigned his position on Sunday, Aug. 18. The Clarksville Police Department are the lead authorities for the arrest and any additional questions should be directed to them. Austin Peay will have no further comments on the matter.”

A 2022 report from ESPN had detailed how Kugler’s father, then offensive line coach and running game coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, had been fired at the time after allegedly groping a woman in Mexico City when the team had traveled for an international game in November that year. At the time, Kugler was the second Cardinals coach to be accused of assaulting a woman that year after former running backs coach James Saxon had turned himself over to authorities in Indiana for assaulting a woman at her home in Indianapolis.

Along with the arrests of the six individuals for their alleged crimes, the TBI announced the recovery of seven individuals thanks to their coordinated operation. “In an effort to identify human trafficking victims, law enforcement officials reached out to ads that had been placed on websites linked to prostitution and commercial sex ads. As a result of this part of the operation, seven individuals were recovered as potential victims of human trafficking and were offered services through an HT victim service organization.”

Including agents from TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit, the operation was conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the Clarksville Police Department, and the Office of the 19th Judicial District Attorney General.