When the world first heard the name Andrew Lott, the 31-year-old was being branded as the nation's chief poor luck loser, having just coached his Dallas (Texas) Academy girls basketball team to a shocking 100-0 loss to Dallas (Texas) Covenant Academy. While the press attention that followed that blowout might have been uncomfortable for Lott, it's likely that he would happily exchanged that for the scrutiny he's receiving now after being arrested and charged with one count of an inappropriate relationship between a teacher and student.
As first reported by the Dallas Morning News, Lott -- who is now 33 -- stands accused of having a sexual relationship with a female student at Mesquite (Texas) High, where he is now an assistant football coach. Mott moved to Mesquite from Dallas Academy in the summer after the 2009-10 school year, when his Dallas Academy girls basketball team had gained national attention and sympathy for its blowout losses.
Now, police are investigating to determine whether Lott had any other inappropriate relationships with students. While there are no indications that he was involved with more than the student with whom he has already been charged, police are continuing to investigate his case.
Naturally, Lott's latest foray with the public spotlight is much more clear cut than his time at Dallas Academy. While he and his Dallas Academy team received nationwide sympathy for their loss to Covenant Academy -- the winning school even issued an official apology citing its embarrassment, fired its own coach and tried to forfeit the victory -- Lott himself received wide accolades for how he handled his team, largely in how he found ways to encourage his players despite a monumental loss.
"We tell them before every single game that it doesn't matter what the score is, just go out and have a good time," Lott told CBS News after the blowout loss in January 2009, as you can see in the video above. "At the end of the day it is just a game. They go out and they give all that they have, every single time down the court. We just tell them to get better as a team and as individuals and play hard. That's exactly what they did.
"We define winning not by the scoreboard, but by the things [the girls basketball players] do themselves. … The girls have a great attitude, and they come out every day joyful and happy and it's a real pleasure to coach them."
Based on the charges currently facing him, it seems unlikely that Lott will be coaching any other teenagers any time soon.
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