Disgusting Coach

[griblets]

I'm surprised this hasn't already made the forum. It doesn't exactly have to do with officiating, but more specifically with a disgusting coach. Unfortunately, he's in my community. He came from Maine. I put this out there to see if anyone else knows about this guy's background or has any thoughts. Be forewarned...this is NSFW!

https://www.si.com/high-school/2018/...sketball-haiti (article with embedded link to audio - must listen)

https://watchstadium.com/news/prep-s...er-10-31-2018/ (more info)

You can google his name to see his attempt to apologize, as well as past players' experiences with him. Here's an example:

https://deadspin.com/former-players-...woo-1830151340 (former player's account of what he said to her and teammates)

This guy has no business being around minors.

[UNIgiantslayers]

Any chance someone could post a SFW recap? I don't want to open it on my work computer and my phone is at home today because (dead horse, I know) I'm an idiot.

[Pantherdreams]

Guy runs a private school (CEO) and coaches basketball team at the private school that only exists to allow this team to exist.

Blackmails players who threaten to transfer. Any name imaginable is used in reference to players and in communication with minors. Sexist/homophobic/ractist/etc any sort of unacceptable rhetoric that would be fireabe in any other situation is used in communication with minors. Refers to relationship to player as one of slavery/ownership. Called female players "sperm banks". Claims to help at risk players through tough situations then uses the sensitive information to manipulate or influence people around that situation.

Loads more but you get the idea.

[BillyMac]

I can't imagine officiating a basketball game for this over the top knucklehead.

I was always disgusted with the foul language of Jim Calhoun, the long time Hall of Fame coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies, now retired. I once sat behind his bench and was glad that I didn't bring any of my children to the game. He was a public employee, I as a taxpayer was paying his multi million dollar salary to not only coach basketball, but to represent the State of Connecticut.

Now he's coaching a Division III Catholic school, Saint Joseph's. Starting a mens program from scratch as Saint Joseph's switched from a women's school to a coed school for the first time in its history. Let's see if his language cleans up as a devout Catholic coaching at a Catholic school.

But Jim Calhoun is a choirboy compared to this guy, whose language is way over that top. No way should a grown man be speaking to a teenager in this manner. Back when I was coaching, our athletic director always told us that an occasional slip of the tongue was alright, but that we shouldn't be using profane language on a regular basis.

I was once officiating a girls high school game where the coach and the athletic director were both summer camp friends of mine. It was the coaches first coaching job. During the game the coach yelled to one of his girls to, "Keep your f***ing head in the game". I let it go but it bothered me. On the way out the door the athletic director said good night and thanked me. I mentioned the coach's language to him and he thanked me and said that he would address it.

Was I out of line? Probably. None of my business? Probably. But as an official, a coach, a teacher, the father of two teenage female high school athletes, and a Christian, I was glad I did it and slept well that night. In any case, there were no repercussions, and I've worked for that coach several times since with no problems, probably because they were both friends of mine and I offered it as helpful advice rather than a complaint.

I wasn't there, but we had a similar situation a few years later. During the halftime intermission the team meeting was being held adjacent to the officials locker room and the officials could hear every word, including some horrible language similar to the first post in this thread. One of the officials, one of our best officials, and highly moral and religious, decided to directly contact the high school principal the next day to describe what he heard. This time there were repercussions. The official was admonished for not going through proper channels, it was suggested that he should have contacted our assigner first who would then contact the athletic director and then let the cards fall where they may from that.

I still agree with my former athletic director, who is now on the staff of the our state interscholastic sports governing body, an occasional slip of the tongue was alright, but that coaches shouldn't be using profane language on a regular basis.

These are teenagers, school children, they are not adults. Do they hear such language in their everyday life? I'm not naive. Sure they do, of course they do, and probably use it themselves, and maybe hear it at home, but they shouldn't be hearing it on a regular basis from adults (coaches who are really teachers) who should be setting a good example for them.

The title of the thread, "Disgusting". I agree 100%. I was totally disgusted.

[Raymond]

Originally Posted by griblets

I'm surprised this hasn't already made the forum. It doesn't exactly have to do with officiating, but more specifically with a disgusting coach. Unfortunately, he's in my community. He came from Maine. I put this out there to see if anyone else knows about this guy's background or has any thoughts. Be forewarned...this is NSFW!

https://www.si.com/high-school/2018/...sketball-haiti (article with embedded link to audio - must listen)

https://watchstadium.com/news/prep-s...er-10-31-2018/ (more info)

You can google his name to see his attempt to apologize, as well as past players' experiences with him. Here's an example:

https://deadspin.com/former-players-...woo-1830151340 (former player's account of what he said to her and teammates)

This guy has no business being around minors.

Mike Golic was talking about this last week on his show. Meant to look it up, but forgot.

[griblets]

Originally Posted by Raymond

Mike Golic was talking about this last week on his show. Meant to look it up, but forgot.

I'll save you some time .

Here's the link to Golic's appropriate rant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhy4LdsUJ7Q.

I couldn't agree with him more.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Now he's coaching a Division III Catholic school, Saint Joseph's. Starting a mens program from scratch as Saint Joseph's switched from a women's school to a coed school for the first time in its history. Let's see if his language cleans up as a devout Catholic coaching at a Catholic school.

Hate to break this to you, but Catholic schools are sometimes the worst when it comes to language and attitude. I work a couple of leagues that are either all Catholic or mostly Christian and I have had to address more language in those leagues than anywhere else. I doubt seriously that is going to change anything Calhoun does or would do in the future.

Welcome to college basketball as well. Many things said if you look at language is often not for the immature ears. And many D3 and D2 schools are private parochial schools. IJS.

Peace

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Hate to break this to you, but Catholic schools are sometimes the worst when it comes to language and attitude.

Our former interpreter, also an NCAA official, used to tell of working a D2 Saint Anselm (New Hampshire) game. He heard some disgusting language coming from the bench, turned to the bench to charge the technical foul, and came face to face with a clerical collar wearing priest, the team chaplain. No matter, the priest was ejected. Each team at Saint Anselm does have a chaplain, my son had one when he ran cross country for the Hawks.

One of our Catholic high schools (since closed) had one of the best basketball programs in the state, and always had a priest on the bench. His behavior never crossed any lines, but he wasn't shy about complaining about some of our calls. They also had a priest as the official scorekeeper. I guessed that he was trustworthy (Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor).

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Hate to break this to you, but Catholic schools are sometimes the worst when it comes to language and attitude. I work a couple of leagues that are either all Catholic or mostly Christian and I have had to address more language in those leagues than anywhere else. I doubt seriously that is going to change anything Calhoun does or would do in the future.

Welcome to college basketball as well. Many things said if you look at language is often not for the immature ears. And many D3 and D2 schools are private parochial schools. IJS.

Peace

First some background information. I had already been officiating basketball for 24 years when I started officiating H.S. soccer. My first name is my god father's (who was Jewish and one of my dad's closest friends) first name; I have a great-great, great grand aunt on my maternal grandmother's side of my family who was Jewish; and four of my closet friends from my H.S. days are Jewish including one who was an Italian Jew (remember that Shylock in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice was Jewish). And Italians (remember that I am from Youngstown, Ohio) and those of the Jewish faith have much common ground (some of you may want to Google Mafia, Meyer Lansky, and Youngstown, Ohio, LOL)

Back to soccer. The very first soccer game that I ever officiated was a the FR game of a FR, JV, VAR triple header between two of well known all male Catholic high schools, whose names shall not be given to protect the guilty which started at 11:00am that Saturday morning (remember the day of the week is important). The Home team was a local H.S. and the Visitors were from another Ohio metropolitan area. My partner was a 4th year soccer (that only sport he officiated) official and he was the R for the game and he was being evaluated for his Class 2 to 1 exam.

As usual the spectators were seated on the opposite side of the field from the team benches with the fans sitting opposite their schools. Since my partner was the R he was on the team bench side for the field and I was on the spectator side of the field. And it turned out that the Visitor's fans were some of the most obnoxious fans I have ever encountered in all of the sports that I have officiated or umpired.

The Home team was attacking the goal in front of the Visitors bench in the first half. About 15 minutes into the game V1 attempted to tackle H1 and committed a foul which I called but in the process of attempting the tackle V1 suffered a very serious knee and the game was stopped for about 15 minutes to attend to the injured player. During this time the Visitor's fans realized that not only was their player was hurt but that I had called a foul on him. At the point a father stood up and yelled at the top of his lungs: "Jesus Christ!! What a terrible call!!" At this point I did not follow my own rules about engaging unruly fans. I turned to the spectators and calmly announced to the Visitor's section: "I am Jewish and today is my Sabbath. And I am appalled and shocked that a parent of a student-athlete of the outstanding Catholic high school of (insert guilty school's name here) would take his Lord's name in vain." The crowd went silent and neither side complained about the officiating the rest of the game. The evaluator was English and immigrated to the U.S. after The War, told me at half time that he couldn't stop laughing because of the great way I had handled the fans.

Unfortunately, my god father had passed on years before, so I never got to share the story with him, but my dad and my four H.S. buddies thought it was funny as hell.

MTD, Sr.

[RefsNCoaches]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

Guy runs a private school (CEO) and coaches basketball team at the private school that only exists to allow this team to exist.

Blackmails players who threaten to transfer. Any name imaginable is used in reference to players and in communication with minors. Sexist/homophobic/ractist/etc any sort of unacceptable rhetoric that would be fireabe in any other situation is used in communication with minors. Refers to relationship to player as one of slavery/ownership. Called female players "sperm banks". Claims to help at risk players through tough situations then uses the sensitive information to manipulate or influence people around that situation.

Loads more but you get the idea.

Guy runs a private CHRISTIAN school (CEO) and coaches basketball team at the private school that only exists to allow this team to exist.

Fella should NOT be coaching, teaching, dealing with kids (or people for that matter) anywhere...he is a disgrace to the sport and all involved.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Jim Calhoun ... coaching a Division III Catholic school, Saint Joseph's. Starting a mens program from scratch as Saint Joseph's switched from a women's school to a coed school for the first time in its history. Let's see if his language cleans up as a devout Catholic coaching at a Catholic school.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

... but Catholic schools are sometimes the worst when it comes to language and attitude ... I doubt seriously that is going to change anything Calhoun does ...

First game of season, first game as the coach of a Division III Catholic university, Calhoun smashes a chair and picks up a technical foul.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

First game of season, first game as the coach of a Division III Catholic university, Calhoun smashes a chair and picks up a technical foul.

From The Hartford Courant:

There was consideration – by Calhoun, 76, and those around him at his new Catholic university – that a different approach might be more appropriate this time around. “A kinder, gentler Jim,” Calhoun said. “Gotcha. Wrong.”

“The officials said it seemed like I never went away,” Calhoun said in a typical, wide-ranging, sometimes difficult-to-understand, often-sarcastic press conference. “I’m just trying to help with my 1,400 games [of experience]. I think I mentioned that to [a ref] one time. He tried to tell me, ‘I see that kind of block all the time.’ I said, ‘I'm sure you do — in high school.’ I can't understand. I was just trying to make an observation.”

What about the technical foul? “In all honesty, I've said a lot of words [over the years],” Calhoun said. “I said something to him about the fact that that 14 elbowed one more time. He said, ‘Don't tell me about it again.' I said, ‘What do you expect me to do if he keeps doing that?' He gave me a technical foul. You guys all know I've said other things before.”

(Player) was on a breakaway, his mind wandering toward his own upcoming dunk, and fumbled the ball out of bounds. Calhoun picked up the stool with two hands and threw it to the floor. “I tripped,” he said, smiling. “I didn’t throw it anywhere.”

[Raymond]

Calhoun is an arrogant, condescending a$$-hole. Winning championships doesn't negate a person's bad character.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Raymond

Calhoun is an arrogant, condescending a$$-hole. Winning championships doesn't negate a person's bad character.

Agree with Calhoun's character on the basketball court. His language would be more appropriate if he were working on the docks of New London.

In his private life he has donated millions of dollars to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, and founded and fully funded the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UCONN Medical Center, as well as lesser amounts to other charitable causes (American Cancer Society, ALS, Holiday Food Drive, Coaches vs. Cancer, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Children's Miracle Network, Prostate Cancer Institute, UCONN Endowment Fund, etc.).

Full disclosure: All the followup treatment after my heart attack is at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center. I got an echocardiogram there last week. I've made a full recovery. Saw Coach Calhoun on the way out. Thanked him and told him that I was a basketball official. He told me to go and f**k myself and smashed a chair in the waiting room.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Agree with Calhoun's character on the basketball court. His language would be more appropriate if he were working on the docks of New London.

In his private life he has donated millions of dollars to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, and founded and fully funded the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UCONN Medical Center, as well as lesser amounts to other charitable causes (American Cancer Society, ALS, Holiday Food Drive, Coaches vs. Cancer, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Children's Miracle Network, Prostate Cancer Institute, UCONN Endowment Fund, etc.).

Full disclosure: All the followup treatment after my heart attack is at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center. I got an echocardiogram there last week. I've made a full recovery. Saw Coach Calhoun on the way out. Thanked him and told him that I was a basketball official. He told me to go and f**k myself and smashed a chair in the waiting room.

Billy:

ROTFLMTO!!

MTD, Sr.