Former Tennis Coach for Underprivileged Kids Who Sexually Abused 13-Year-Old Player for Years Learns Fate

Mar. 15, 2025

File image of tennis player.Photo:GEtty

GEtty

It started with reports that the former youth tennis coach was using a wooden paddle on some of his students in Alabama.

As law enforcement began investigating the 2018 allegations, they uncovered evidence of sexual abuse starting three years earlier when the coach “took a special interest in a 13-year-old female student,”according to federal prosecutors.

Joyner, who is from Columbus, Ga., and is now 51, previously operated a tennis association in Dale County, Ala., where he coached underprivileged children and teens, per prosecutors.

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Over the course of the investigation, prosecutors say law enforcement uncovered years of sexual abuse against a young girl — whose name has been withheld because she is a minor — determining that Joyner had taken her to out-of-state tennis tournaments.

There, he engaged in sex acts with her in multiple states, including Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina, per prosecutors, who said that Joyner also beat the girl “with a wooden board to influence her to obey him.”

The abuse continued until she was 15, when investigators began inquiring in September 2018 over reports that he was beating her with a paddle, per prosecutors.

“Through his position of authority, Joyner targeted young and vulnerable victims,” Ross said in aprevious statementabout the case, saying that Joyner’s “reprehensible” actions had “caused lasting harm.”

“Safeguarding children from sexual exploitation and abuse is one of law enforcement’s most vital responsibilities,” he added.

As a federal inmate, Joyner is not eligible for parole, according to prosecutors. The judge will determine restitution at a later date.

source: people.com