Basketball coach Robert Hughes Jr. on leave at Fort Worth Dunbar

FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth Dunbar High School boys basketball coach Robert Hughes Jr. has been positioned on leave after the district obtained an allegation from a pupil of inappropriate conduct by the coach, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Angelica Ramsey confirmed to WFAA on Thursday.

Per protocol, district officers notified legislation enforcement of the allegations after they had been reported, Ramsey mentioned. 

Upon being contacted by the district, Fort Worth Police issued quotation to Hughes for Assault by Offensive Contact, a Class C misdemeanor. 

According to the Texas Penal Code, Assault by Offensive Contact happens when an individual “intentionally or knowingly causes physical contact with another when the person knows or should reasonably believe that the other will regard the contact as offensive or provocative.”

Hughes Jr. will stay on administrative leave pending the end result of an investigation, Ramsey mentioned. He declined remark when reached by WFAA on Thursday.

Hughes Jr. has coached Dunbar since 2005, taking on the job from his father, Robert Hughes Sr., who was the nation’s all-time winningest boys basketball coach.

The elder Hughes was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

The Fort Worth district has employed Swan Lacy, a former Dunbar participant, to coach the group in Hughes Jr.’s absence, Ramsey instructed WFAA.

Dunbar is about to open its season in opposition to DeSoto on Nov. 15.

Hughes Jr. has led Dunbar to 3 state match appearances. The Wildcats misplaced the 2006 championship to South Oak Cliff, however South Oak Cliff was later stripped of that honor, giving the title to Dunbar as an alternative.

Hughes Sr. coached at I.M. Terrell in Fort Worth from 1958 to 1973 and at Dunbar from 1973-2005. In all, he received 1,333 video games, 5 state championships and 35 district titles.