Football: Joe Kinnan to hold press conference Wednesday

Joe Kinnan is ready to talk.
Manatee's former football coach, who announced in June he was taken a medical leave of absence for the 2014-15 school year, will conduct a press conference 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Bradenton City Hall.
"I will be speaking about my career at Manatee High," Kinnan wrote in an email, "and the allegations made against me by the Manatee County School District."
During an 2012 investigation of former Manatee baseball coach Dwayne Strong, district officials recommended Kinnan, formerly Manatee's athletic director, be suspended for 10 days without pay for failing "to maintain honesty in his professional dealings."
Kinnan resigned as athletic director in early December, roughly two weeks before the district unveiled its findings, and Manatee's athletic program was fined over $13,000 by the Florida High School Athletic Association because of violations committed by Strong and the baseball program.
Kinnan responded with a statement through his attorney at the time, Douglas Peebles, acknowledging that he "could have been more diligent in my oversight and follow through," regarding Strong.
He also added: "However, the allegations and findings contained within the complaint are far overreaching. I cannot abide and cannot more strongly disagree with any allegations or findings which wrongly characterize my conduct as intentional, misleading or dishonest or that may otherwise impugn my integrity."
Citing health reasons, Kinnan, a three-time cancer survivor, did not coach Manatee during the spring football season, which ran through May, but held off on making a decision about whether he would coach in the fall.
On June 20, however, Kinnan, on medical leave since December, announced he would not be coaching Manatee in 2014 and requested a year-long medical leave of absence.
"I would love to continue as the head football coach. However, there are conditions that exist that make that impossible at this time," Kinnan's statement read that day. "The turmoil and uncertainty that exists in the Manatee County School District has impacted my health to the extent that I cannot perform as head football coach at the level of excellence that Manatee players and fans expect and deserve."
District superintendent Rick Mills, who recommended Kinnan's suspension in December, said he was hoping to see Kinnan try and chase down his 300th victory this fall.
"He is a great coach with a great legacy," Mills said June 20.
A nationwide search for Manatee's new football coach yielded 70 applicants, and Jason Montgomery, hired in February to replace Kinnan as the school's athletic director, said he wasn't looking for an interim hire.
"There have been no mixed signals on our end," Montgomery said June 30. "We're looking for a long-term solution."
The choice to replace Kinnan was John Booth, a Manatee alum who played under Kinnan for four years and spent the last five coaching at Valrico Bloomingdale. He makes his coaching debut Aug. 22 when the Hurricanes head to Tarpon Springs East Lake for a Kickoff Classic.
Kinnan won 290 games and five state titles in two separate stints at Manatee and graduated from the school in 1963.