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MURRAY — Cottonwood High School football coach Josh Lyman feels blindsided by allegations that he had an improper relationship with a female student, his lawyer said Friday.
"He's shattered. I think he's as distraught as any person would be who's accused of something like this. This was completely unforeseen. It came out of the blue two days ago. He's upset," said attorney Ed Brass.
He's shattered. I think he's as distraught as any person would be who's accused of something like this.
–Ed Brass, Lyman's attorney
The Granite School District placed Lyman, 32, on paid administrative leave Wednesday after several students, including the girl making the allegations, told school officials he had inappropriate physical contact with a female student.
Brass said Lyman knows the girl from school but has had no social contact with her outside the campus.
"I think that when all this has been aired out properly that it'll be determined that there was no relationship between the two of them," he said.
Granite School District police are conducting a criminal investigation, while district officials are conducting an administrative investigation.
"Our desire is to complete it as swiftly and thoroughly as possible," said district spokesman Ben Horsley. "There is no time frame at this point."
Lyman "absolutely" maintains the allegations against him are false, Brass said. "I don't know what's been said about him out there, but I'm convinced that this is a gentleman that has not done anything criminal," he said.
Granite police have interviewed Lyman twice, and he declined to have an attorney present both times. "It says to me he's been cooperative," Brass said.
Outcomes of the criminal and administrative investigations could be different depending on what investigators find, Horsley said. It is standard procedure in any case for Granite police to confer with local prosecutors about criminal allegations, he said.
Cottonwood students Friday expressed various opinions about the accusations.
“I don’t believe it," said sophomore Sierra West. "I feel like the girl is trying to
