Broken Arrow football coach arrested for drug offenses fired

By John Dobberstein, Editor

A Broken Arrow High School football coach arrested on drug charges is no longer employed by the school district.

Broken Arrow Public Schools confirmed Thursday that Pearlie Deshawn Graves has been terminated from employment. The school district did not comment specifically on his termination, but said earlier this month that his future employment was contingent on the outcome of a criminal investigation and an internal review by human resources.

Graves was charged on August 1 with illegal possession of a controlled substance with intent to resell. He pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $10,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 6.

Graves was hired as a “behavioral coach” last September and 9^th According to BAPS, he is a first-grade football coach and was selected as the defensive line coach for the high school team this summer.

“Our standard procedure is to conduct a background check on all new employees, which includes fingerprinting. This was part of the process when we hired Mr. Graves,” Thompson said.

The district was also asked about Graves' charge of driving with an expired/fake license plate from 2016, to which he also pleaded guilty. However, since Graves was not driving a school bus or a district vehicle, his license was not checked, per district policy.

In 2017, Graves was arrested and charged with threats of violence. He pleaded guilty and sentencing was stayed for one year. In 2014, he was arrested and charged with three counts of domestic violence and assault, but the case was dismissed at the request of the prosecution pending further investigation.

According to media reports and court records, Graves, 34, came under suspicion when Tulsa police investigated Deandre Marquis Bullard's alleged drug trafficking.

Bullard, a Tulsa resident, was arrested in April and charged with possession of a firearm under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, trafficking in illegal drugs, unlawful possession of illegal drugs with intent to resell, receiving proceeds of drug trafficking and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

On July 18, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for each count, with the sentences to be served concurrently. The suspended sentence he received in 2022 for illegal possession of a firearm was also revoked as a result of the July conviction, and he was sentenced to 6 years in prison, which he must serve concurrently with the July sentence.