Patrick Kugler resigned as Austin Peay’s co-offensive coordinator on Sunday, a day after he was arrested as part of an undercover human trafficking operation in Montgomery County, Tennessee.
Kugler, 29, was one of six men arrested by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Aug. 17 for using bait-and-switch ads to “identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors,” according to a statement from the bureau.
“Austin Peay State University is aware of the arrest of former assistant football coach Patrick Kugler, who resigned on Sunday, Aug. 18. The lead agency on the arrest was the Clarksville Police Department and any additional questions should be directed to the department. Austin Peay will not be commenting further on this matter,” APSU’s athletic department said.
The URL is Kugler’s staff page Austin Peay’s athletics website now displays an error message and has an X-profile for a former coach. Deleted.
The investigation led to the discovery of seven potential human trafficking victims and the arrest of six.
Kugler was charged with human trafficking for sex slavery and his bail was set at $5,000.
It is unclear whether he has been released.
Kugler, a former offensive lineman at the University of Michigan, played for the Wolverines from 2015-17, appearing in 25 career games with 14 starts.
He was an All-Big Ten selection in 2017 as a fifth-year student.
His father, Sean Kugler, was UTEP’s coach from 2013 to 2017 and was fired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 after he was sent home from a game in Mexico City following allegations of groping a woman.
Austin Peay will open the season on Saturday, August 31st against the Louisville Cardinals.
The Governors were 9-3 last season with a perfect 6-0 record in conference play before losing 24-21 to Chattanooga in the first round of the FCS national championship tournament.
