A former Twin Cities radio personality and founder of the Eli Sports Network has been accused of sexually abusing three children in the 1980s, according to three civil lawsuits filed in January.
According to the lawsuits, Paul Beattie, commonly known by his radio name Paul Walker, allegedly abused the children when they were between ages 9 and 15.
Beattie was, at the time of the alleged abuse, a high school football coach at Tumwater High School, and employed by the Tumwater School District.
The Olympian first reported on the lawsuits on Thursday, Aug. 6.
Sydney Codd, attorney at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler PLLC, told The Chronicle on Friday that a fourth civil case is now in the tort claim process. The law firm has filed the three active lawsuits in Thurston County on behalf of the three men alleging the abuse.
Codd said she expects to file the fourth lawsuit within the next 60 days.
The complaints, Codd said, are all filed against the Tumwater School District. The lead attorney for the cases encouraged people to come forward if they’d been abused by Beattie or have information about his time in the Tumwater School District.
According to a Thursday news release from Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler, the school district either “knew, or should have known, that Beattie posed a danger to the children in its care.”
The lawsuits allege Beattie used his authority and influence to “systematically groom” and then sexually abuse the men when they were children.
According to the complaints, the plaintiffs accused Beattie of abusing them at school facilities such as the gym, locker rooms and the football field, as well as at his home.
"Schools are places where children must remain safe, and the institutions entrusted with their care have an obligation to ensure that safety," Codd said in the release. "These lawsuits are about holding the Tumwater School District accountable for what we allege was a serious and preventable failure of that obligation.”
In the complaints, the plaintiffs request appropriate relief to include, among other items, “all special and general damages established at trial,” along with attorneys’ fees and costs.
The district has, to date, denied legal liability, according to reporting by The Olympian.
Court records indicate Beattie was convicted of indecent liberties, a class C felony, in 1989.
Two years earlier, in 1987, Beattie pleaded guilty to — and was convicted of — communication with a minor for immoral purposes, also a Class C felony. The case, later dismissed, involved one of the men from the current lawsuits, according to reporting by The Olympian.
Beattie was a longtime fixture on radio stations in the Centralia-Chehalis area and has acted as the coordinator for the Music in the Park summer concert series in Chehalis. He founded Eli Sports Network in 2011, a media outlet covering high school sports in Washington state.
Eli Sports Network announced “the beginning of a new chapter” in a news release dated Aug. 5. The release was posted to the network’s site on Aug. 6 — the same day The Olympian broke its story on the allegations against Beattie.
Matthew King, who’s led high school sports coverage at the network since November 2025, will now be heading the entire operation.
The change signals a “renewed commitment to providing high-quality coverage of high school sports across Washington,” according to the release.
“I’m honored to lead Eli Sports Network into its next chapter,” King said. “Our goal is to continue to provide and expand outstanding coverage, celebrate student-athletes, and continue growing as Washington’s trusted source for Northwest sports with our primary focus remaining on high school sports.”
The release does not mention Beattie.
The Chronicle has reached out to Beattie for comment on the allegations.
Codd said she can be reached at 253-284-9151 or scodd@rhhk.com. Inquiries will be “handled confidentially,” according to the law firm.
