LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- When the Golden Eagles of Shawnee take the football field this Friday night, they are going to be without their head football coach. But in an interview with WHAS11, he says he is the fall guy.

“I think there is some concern with people trying to protect themselves instead of doing what’s right.”

Lavell Boyd says he is not a cheater. Boyd says administrators never showed him all the procedures and now they are trying to cover their bases.

“I'm a first-time coach. I was following the rules the way they were explained to me,” he says. “I went exactly by the book the way they asked me to.”

He held a news conference alongside community activist Louis Coleman Tuesday afternoon.

WHAS11 News

Louis Coleman, Lavell Boyd

In his termination letter from Jefferson County Public Schools, administrators say he admitted playing two eighth graders on the junior varsity team that were not eligible even after he was told not to. Other documents say Boyd told them he did it because he wanted to win.

Boyd says he didn't know they weren't eligible until after the game. The district athletic director doesn't agree.

“Bottom line is Lavell didn't follow the proper policies [and] knowingly violated policy,” says JCPS Athletic Director Jerry Wyman.

Boyd's termination wasn't just for this most recent incident. I got a hold of some district documents that say Boyd had contact with players when he wasn't supposed to over the summer, and he had to sit out two pre-season games because of that.

Administrators also say he allowed students to practice without their insurance and physical information. Boyd says all of this is a misunderstanding and that he just wanted to help kids.

After Boyd’s termination, students came forward with new allegations against the former coach. They say he held fundraisers almost every week and charged kids $80 for team gear.

The school says they didn't get the money. Boyd says he used it for team equipment. The players and assistant coaches say they didn't get anything.

These allegations have not been investigated.

Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.