Martin Luther King Jr. High School’s opening football game against Stockbridge High on Sept. 1 will be played without head coach Michael Carson, who led the Lions to a 12-1 finish in 2011 and the third round of the Class AAAAA playoffs.

Carson, 51, was suspended Aug. 21 after a parent accused him of sexting nude photos of himself to her.

Schools spokesman Jeff Dickerson said Aug. 22 that Carson was suspended with pay after the mother of two Lions players showed Carson’s wife, other coaches, and parents the nude photos he sent her.

“There was a confrontation at the [preseason] game Saturday [Aug. 18] evening,” he said. “Some pictures were displayed, nude photos, and we were later alerted of what happened.”

Dickerson said that the investigation is pending while the school system is gathering all the facts from both parties.

The Lions’ opening game is part of a double-header at Tri-Cities High in East Point. M.L. King is ranked No. 3 in Class AAAAA.

Defensive backs coach Robert Freeman was named interim coach in Carson’s absence.

Carson was named head coach at M.L. King in 2010. In his first season, M.L. King was 8-4.

Before that, Carson led Avondale High to a 6-5 record in 1989. It was the Blue Devils’ best record when the school closed in 2011.

Dickerson said the woman who made the allegations, who is described as a single mother, could face charges if any minors saw the photos as she showed them to other parents.

“It’s my understanding that if minors were in the vicinity ... that could prompt possible prosecution,” Dickerson said.

He said if the schools’ investigators uncover any evidence of criminal wrongdoing, it would be forwarded to the DeKalb District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.