0
0
A youth sports organisation in Texas is facing backlash after parents discovered that a former coach linked to the programme is a registered sex offender.
The Texas Home Educators Sports Association (THESA), which provides sporting opportunities for homeschooled students in the Fort Worth area, has come under scrutiny following revelations about Thomas “Tommy” Whiteman, a former baseball player who previously served as head coach of the THESA Riders.
Whiteman, 46, is listed on the state’s sex offender registry until 2030 for an offence involving the online solicitation of a minor in 2010. Registry details indicate the case involved the transmission of explicit material to someone believed to be a 14-year-old girl.
Concerns were raised after reports that parents received a waiver as part of the programme’s registration process referencing the coach’s past struggles, but not explicitly disclosing his status on the registry. The document reportedly framed his history in terms of personal and religious transformation. The situation was first highlighted by a watchdog group, with at least one parent claiming the waiver mentioned personal issues but omitted any reference to his criminal record.
Whiteman is no longer listed as a coach on THESA’s website. He has also been associated with a private sports training facility in the area, where similar personal testimony about his past conduct has reportedly been shared.
Separately, Carroll Independent School District confirmed it is reviewing concerns after Whiteman was previously listed as an approved off-campus activity provider. The district said that, to its knowledge, only one student used the provider during the 2022–23 school year at a parent’s request.
THESA has not publicly commented on the matter at the time of reporting.
