Charge against Henry Clay football coach dismissed with prejudice

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A charge against Henry Clay High School football coach Phillip Hawkins, who was accused earlier this year of showing obscene material to minors, has been dismissed with prejudice.

Fayette District Court Judge, Denotra Gunther, signed an agreed order dismissing the charge on Nov. 5. Prosecutors moved to dismiss the case after completing discovery.

Prosecutors said the dismissal centered on whether the photographs described by the minors met Kentucky's legal definition of obscene material. According to the motion, the photographs were described as depicting a nude woman but did not depict sexual acts, meaning prosecutors could not establish an element required under the law.

The Commonwealth stressed that its motion was not a determination of whether Hawkins showed the photographs to the minors. Instead, prosecutors said that even if the alleged conduct occurred, the photographs as described did not meet the legal definition required to support the charge.

The judge granted the Commonwealth’s motion and dismissed the charge with prejudice, meaning the charge cannot be refiled.

The order also directs the Fayette District Court clerk and Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts to automatically expunge and seal the case from Hawkins’ record 30 days after the order was entered, as required under Kentucky law.

LEX News first reported in August that Hawkins, then 57, had been charged with first-degree distribution of obscene matter to minors. The allegations involved three minors who were members of the Henry Clay High School football team. Prosecutors said the minors reported that Hawkins showed them photographs of a nude woman on his phone.

Hawkins denied the allegations when he spoke with LEX Sports following the charge. Fayette County Public Schools told LEX News at the time that the district does not comment on personnel matters. The district separately confirmed to the Lexington Herald-Leader that Hawkins had been placed on administrative leave.

Hawkins became Henry Clay’s head football coach before the 2025 season after previously leading Bryan Station High School to a state championship game appearance in 2023.

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