Former NFL CB Fernando Bryant Fired as HSFB HC over 3-Year Old Social Media Post

Strong Rock Christian School in Locust Grove, Georgia, fired head football coach Fernando Bryant, a former 10-year NFL veteran, after the school raised concerns over a social media post his wife made three years ago.

11Alive's Alec McQuade reported a photo showed Bryant and his wife, Amber Bryant, with the former holding a bottle of alcohol.

"I was led to believe it was my wife's [post]," Fernando Bryant said. "They never showed it to me or never said anything other than a parent brought it to their attention."

Bryant also tweeted this Monday, a day after his firing:

On the school's website, Strong Rock Christian School says its mission "is to glorify God and partner with families in educating and inspiring their children to impact the world for Jesus Christ—The Strong Rock."

Bryant told McQuad school employees are required to be born-again Christians but that administrators never laid out rules prohibiting the use of alcohol.

Bryant said the school examined both his and his wife's social media history while conducting a background check prior to his hiring, but he isn't sure if the school went far enough back to become aware of the photo during the process. He hasn't ruled out taking legal action against Strong Rock Christian School.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Bryant with the 26th overall pick in the 1999 draft, and he played five seasons with the team before moving to the Detroit Lions. In the final year of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he appeared in two games as the team won their sixth Super Bowl in 2008.