Kerry Martin’s HS Coach Denies Making ‘Slave Owner’ Comment, Hopes Martin and Vic Koenning ‘Talk it Out’

West Virginia sophomore safety Kerry Martin posted on Twitter allegations of mistreatment and racism against WVU defensive coordinator Vic Koenning on Tuesday.

As part of those allegations, Martin claimed that his high school coach, Capital High School’s Jon Carpenter, told him that Koenning had a “slave owner mentality.”

Carpenter denied to WV Sports Now ever making such a comment. Talking to WVSN’s Tom Bragg, Carpenter said. “Neal Brown told me that [Martin] said I told him that somebody had a ‘slave owner’ mentality. 100 percent no. I never told him that.”

Despite Carpenter’s denial, Martin insisted that the conversation did, in fact, happen the way he described it, calling Carpenter’s denial “100% not true.”

This is 100% not true. I came home after our spring semester was over and visited the high school and had a conversation with him about Coach Vic with Coach Carp. He told me how he had a great coaching mind but could see that in him by the way he talked. https://t.co/0SCyU9JjuA

— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr.🌹 (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020

Carpenter went on to tell Bragg that neither he nor anyone who coaches at Capital High School knew that Martin had been feeling this way.

“If I knew it was going on, I’d be the first person in the car driving up there to throw rocks through windows,” Carpenter said.

He also said that Koenning had been attentive of Martin’s needs since the team left Morgantown due to COVID-19.

“I’m shocked because Vic Koenning has aggravated me to death since COVID started. Five or six phone calls to make sure Kerry is fed,” Carpenter said.

Martin confirmed that in another follow-up tweet. In his tweet Tuesday morning, Martin said that Koenning is “not a bad person” and “does mean well in many (different) aspects,” but that players “are uncomfortable with being around him” and that his “beliefs are misled.”

This is 100% true. Coach Vic did visit me in Charleston to bring me food and as I said in my initial post he has done good by me and he is not a bad person but his thoughts and beliefs are mislead. https://t.co/BduS6OCWDv

— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr.🌹 (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020

Carpenter finished by telling Bragg, “I just hope that they all get together in the same room and talk it out.”

WVU has not responded to a request for comment regarding Martin’s accusations. WVSN has not been able to independently corroborate Martin’s claims.