Who Is David Byrd? Tennessee Lawmaker Faces Pressure To Resign Over 2018 Sexual Assault Allegations

There are renewed calls for Tennessee State Rep. David Byrd to resign after accusations surfaced in March 2018 of Byrd sexually assaulting three women in 1986 while he was their basketball coach.

Two of the women were 15 and one was 16 when they say Byrd, then a 28-year-old coach, sexually assaulted them, according to the Tennessean.

The latest calls for Byrd's resignation come after House Speaker Glen Casada in January appointed him to chair the House Education Administration Subcommittee. A video surfaced Tuesday on social media in which Casada defended Byrd and stated that "if I was raped, I would move," implying that the credibility of the alleged victims should be called into question.

Casada's answer was related to a question posed by Justin Kanew, a journalist and former Democratic congressional candidate, over what Casada would do if he were "raped as a woman in rural Tennessee."

The question was also given in context to an audio recording from Byrd in which he apologized to one of his former victims, though the reason for the apology is never specified. The footage of the apology was obtained and released in March 2018 by WSMV, an NBC affiliate in Nashville.

Before entering politics, Byrd served as a longtime coach for the Wayne County High School girls' basketball team in Waynesboro. He graduated from the school in 1975 and also served as its principal for eight years.

Byrd, 61, graduated from Freed-Hardeman University and received his Master's degree from Tennessee State University. He is married with four children and five grandchildren.

Byrd is a Republican who represents the heavily conservative rural counties of Hardin, Lewis, Wayne and parts of Lawrence. He was first elected to office in 2014 after edging Republican incumbent Vance Dennis. Byrd ran unopposed in the general election. He would run unopposed in the Republican primary and the general election in 2016.

In November 2018, Byrd defeated Democrat Frankie Floied, 77.8 percent to 22.2 percent.

Some party members in 2018 called for Byrd to resign, including former House Speaker Beth Harwell and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally.

State Rep. Sherry Jones, a Democrat from Nashville, in September launched "Enough is Enough Tennessee," a political action committee against elected officials and candidates accused of sexual misconduct or assault. The PAC immediately targeted Byrd.

"There is no reason for a person accused of sexual assault of children to hold an office in the state of Tennessee," Jones told the Tennessean.

One accuser said that when she was 15 years old Byrd had inappropriately touched her over her clothes and pulled her hands towards his genitals.

Another alleged that she was 16 when Byrd touched her inappropriately on his bed in his hotel room during an overnight stay for an away game.

A third woman said Byrd made sexual advances towards her when she was 15, attempting to touch her genital area in a hotel swimming pool.