Tony Cannaday is out as the high school baseball coach at St. Augustine in Florida. He was removed from his role just a few weeks before the playoffs.
An investigation remains ongoing.
This sudden and unexpected ouster stems from an alleged pattern of unsafe behavior in the high school baseball locker room. He has also been reported to the state.
St. Augustine made the Florida high school baseball playoffs.
Established in 1910, Saint Augustine High School is the oldest active public high school in the St. Johns County School district. It is located in the Woodlawn area of Saint Augustine, which can also be lumped in to the greater Jacksonville area for those who aren’t familiar with the region.
St. Augustine enrolls approximately 1,700 students in Grades 9-12 so the Yellow Jackets compete on the Division 4A level of high school sports under the Florida High School Athletics Association umbrella.
The baseball program finished the 2026 regular season one game above .500 at 14-13. However, it still snuck into the playoffs as a No. 5 seed because of its strength of schedule for the first time since 2018.
16 teams make the the postseason. St. Augustine paired with Arnold in the Regional Quarterfinals on April 24. It won by a final score of 10-6 to advance to the Regional Semifinals against No. 1 seed Choctawatchee.
The Yellow Jackets will now play the Indians in a three-game series this weekend. They actually won Game 1 on Friday evening. And they did so without their head coach!
Tony Cannaday was removed as head coach.
The St. Johns County School District continues to investigate former St. Augustine high school baseball coach Tony Cannaday. He was abruptly removed from his coaching role with the program earlier this month. Max Krueter was promoted as his replacement for the last few games of the regular season and the postseason. His team is on fire.
Meanwhile, Cannaday is on leave. Deputy Superintendent for Human Resources Wayne King said the school district received multiple reports and videos of “inappropriate activities, including boxing and other unsafe behavior, occurring in the team’s locker room.”
“As a coach, you are expected to maintain a safe, respectful, and positive environment at all times, including during locker room activities, practices, and team-related events. The behaviors documented in these videos indicate a lapse in professional judgment and a failure to ensure appropriate supervision, which can compromise student safety and well-being. Any recurrence of similar conduct — or any actions inconsistent with the standards required of instructional personnel or employees serving in supervisory roles — may result in further disciplinary action, up to and including a recommendation for termination of employment with St. Johns County School District.”
According to Jacksonville Today, Cannaday remains employed with the district as a physical education teacher while under investigation. The school district did not provide any additional information about the timeline for next steps.
However, it did report the former high school baseball coach’s conduct to the Department of Education for the state of Florida. He was informed that he must attend three “coaching sessions focused on strengthening team culture, establishing and reinforcing clear expectations for student conduct, and reviewing and implementing updated locker room supervision and behavioral expectations.” It is unclear as to whether he could be reinstated. A complete separation seems more likely.