High school head football coach arrested for inappropriate behavior with students: PCSO

A teacher and head football coach at Bartow High School is facing serious charges, accused of inappropriate behavior toward multiple female students.

Arrest of Tyler Eden

The backstory:

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says the investigation into Tyler Eden, 31, began on April 2, 2025, after a parent reported inappropriate conversations between their daughter and Eden.

PCSO says the teen met with Eden to help him with athletic chores so she could earn community service hours. In the locker room, Eden allegedly told the teen he wanted to have sex with her despite the fact that he's married, to which the student said she didn't want to talk about that.

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The next day, according to investigators, the teen asked Eden for a t-shirt after her hoodie got caught in a box and broke open her zipper. Eden allegedly responded by unzipping the student's jacket all the way, then trying to fix the hoodie before handing her a t-shirt.

PCSO says the teen went to a different locker room area to change into the t-shirt, then turned around and saw Eden standing behind her and watching. He then complimented the student's bra and mentioned multiple times that no cameras were set up in the area, according to deputies.

Investigators say Eden asked the teen not to report him. She reported the encounter to her parents that evening, then went to school administrators the next day.

Mugshot of Tyler Eden. Courtesy: Polk County Jail.

Mugshot of Tyler Eden. Courtesy: Polk County Jail.

Administrators questioned Eden and told him he was being placed on leave, after which Eden reportedly admitted to helping the student fix the zipper while claiming the teen asked for his help.

PCSO says two more female students came forward during the investigation, with one telling deputies that Eden talked about how it would be "easy to do certain things" in the locker rooms because there were no cameras.

Another student said Eden asked her what she wanted to do after graduation. When she said she wanted to be a gynecologist, Eden allegedly said he would be a good fit for that job himself because he liked performing oral sex on women.

Investigators arrested Eden and booked him into the Polk County Jail.

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What they're saying:

A parent of a student who attends the high school says she is mortified.

"You wouldn't think that you'd have to worry about these things, but it's becoming very common, and it's scary," said Jamila, a parent. 

She says parents should talk with their kids about these types of incidents to keep them aware and safe.

"Have that open relationship where they're comfortable with telling you," said Jamila. "You have your bubble and no one should be in your bubble and no one should be touching you or making inappropriate comments and if so you need to let an adult know immediately cause you wouldn't want that to continue." 

Sheriff Grady Judd held a news conference on Thursday, during which he had strong words about Eden's alleged behavior.

"At the end of the day, he's coached his last football game. He fumbled. He's going to be held accountable and the good guys win," Judd said.

What's next:

Eden faces the following charges:

  • Lewd offense against a student by an authority figure
  • Lewd and lascivious touching of a minor
  • Voyeurism

Polk County Public Schools tells FOX 13 the district is moving forward with terminating Eden's employment.

During Eden's first court appearance, the state filed a motion to have the case be continued on Friday. He'll be back in court at 8:30 a.m. FOX 13 did reach out to his attorney, though we haven't received a response. 

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The Source: This story was written with information from the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

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