What a shame. Was this coach trying to get this kid to grow up and be a man, to dig deep and get better, or was he just trying miserably to be funny? I can't imagine how his intentions could have been good.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...rybaby_award_1

I think they ought to invite this coach to a banquet and give him the a**hole of the year award.

Despicable. Absolutely Despicable.

This guy should never see a gymnasium again.

not very bright
 

Reprehensible on every level.

I sincerely hope that the school district takes the opportunity to make a similar example of the coach(es) for the entire community to see.

Even if it was meant to motivate (I can't see how), this player and his parents have paid for the opportunity to participate, build character, hang out with friends, experience the meaning of team, not to have some ignorant coach humilate him.

I could really go off here, but I believe that most of us take this for what it is: Some idiot coach that doesn't have a clue.

Had that been my kid, they would have had to pull me off that coach. :mad:

I first heard this story on the radio in my car this morning. I thought exactly the same thing.

Sometimes a strongly worded reprimand does not quite get to the point. Sometimes the law does not quite cover the type of cruelty we sometimes encounter, sadly a lot of that cruelty is seen in kids organized sports. This is one of those cases. In this case those jerks should have just gotten a good beating.

Wow, BBallCoach really does have a coaching job!

How can you "fly like an eagle" when you play for "turkeys" like that.

I would have to agree 100% on that. Its people that that moron who bring the sport down and discourage people to play such a quality sport

Article from local newspaper....

Now Pleasantville coaches may be ones crying
Schools superintendent to suggest disciplinary action for coaches who gave boy 'crybaby award'
By MADELAINE VITALE Staff Writer

PLEASANTVILLE - Schools Superintendent Edwin Coyle said Monday that he will recommend disciplinary action at tonight's school board meeting for middle school basketball coaches who humiliated a student by giving him the team "crybaby award."

Coyle said the coaches thought they would have fun at someone else's expense while at a recent awards banquet and it backfired.

"I was very upset and dismayed that our coaches would take an opportunity to belittle or lessen the self-esteem of our athletes," Coyle said.

The student, Terrence Philo Jr., knew he would be getting an award at the banquet. His coach called to make sure he was attending to receive his "special award."

During the banquet all of his teammates received certificates and trophies. But when Philo got up to get his award, he heard laughter. When he neared his coach, a man he looked up to, he was stunned, his father, Terrence, said Monday.

The boy's trophy had a silver figure of a baby atop a pedestal engraved with his name, which was spelled incorrectly.

The 13-year-old would not let his father, his teammates and especially not his coach, see how hurt he was.

"He went to throw it in the trash and I said no," his father said. "He said, 'Come on. I feel like I'm doing this all for nothing.'"

The boy felt so embarrassed that he could not go to school on the Monday following the April 24 ceremony, his father said.

Philo said his son has always been involved in sports. Terrence Jr. is the shortest student in the eighth grade, but he never backed down from a challenge. Fellow basketball players tower over him, but he is not intimidated. He just loves the game, his father said. In fact, he loves all sports. He plays football and is on the track team.

But since receiving the award, Terrence Jr, who is an honor roll student, has lost some of his self-esteem.

"He doesn't even want to play outside," Philo said. "The same day that he got the award, he went around the corner and someone said, 'I heard about the crybaby award.' A lot of people are talking. The kids are in shock."

Philo said he might get a lawyer involved.

"At the very least, I think my child needs counseling for a few weeks. I am angry that the coaches made him feel that way."

Philo said another student also got the award, but The Press could not confirm that prior to press time.

Terrence Jr. may go along with his father to the school board meeting tonight.

"I just keep telling him to stay on track. I keep him active. I'm trying to keep him going. I just keep telling him, 'You're a good kid. Don't back down.'"

To e-mail Madelaine Vitale at The Press:

[email protected]

If Philo get a lawyer involved, I hope the coach gets the book thrown at him... that jerk diserves whats coming to him

School board voted to terminate coach.
 

Latest release from Board meeting. I am not sure I understand the coaches position in this article. He's the Special Ed teacher, you would think he had already been through sensitivity training. What an idiot.


PLEASANTVILLE, N.J. -- The head coach of a middle school basketball team who presented a "Crybaby Award" trophy to a 13-year-old player at a sports banquet may have lost his job over it.

The Pleasantville Board of Education voted Tuesday night to fire Pleasantville Middle School coach James Guillen, but the Board's own attorney questioned whether the vote was legal.

Guillen, 24, a special education teacher at the school who was in his first year as basketball coach, has told school officials the award was his idea and that two other coaches didn't know about it in advance.

Just prior to the April 24 banquet at the Pleasantville Recreation Center, Guillen called him to be sure to attend the event to pick up his special trophy, according to the boy's father, Terrence Philo Sr.

He wasn't told what the trophy signified.

At the event, the boy watched as all of his teammates received trophies or certificates. He was then called up to receive his award, and a coach told the crowd that the boy was being honored because "he begged to get in the game, and all he did was whine."

The trophy consisted of a silver figure of a baby atop a pedestal engraved with the boy's name, which was spelled incorrectly. Family members said the teen _ an honor roll student _ was so embarrassed that he stayed home from school on the following Monday.

"It's an awful thing to have done to a teenager, just totally uncalled for," said Michael Popkin, a family therapist and author based in Atlanta. "One of the harshest things you can do to a kid is to publicly humiliate them. It's bad enough putting him down one on one, away from the team. To set him up like that and then cut his knees out in public is a huge blow."

Schools Superintendent Edwin Coyle said Guillen's punishment could range from a severe reprimand to dismissal from his teaching job.

"It's totally unacceptable. It's not the way to treat young athletes or students," said Coyle.

Coyle recommended a five-day suspension without pay, sensitivity training and a yearlong ban from extracurricular activities for Guillen.

The nine-member board voted to fire him instead, even though Board attorney Damon Tyner said the vote wasn't binding because only the superintendent had the power to hire and fire.

Asked if Guillen had been fired, Board President Jerome Page said: "The motion passed."

The boy and his father were present for the vote, which came after a 2{-hour closed-door session. They did not speak to reporters afterward, although an attorney representing the father questioned whether the Board had the authority to fire Guillen.

"He has collective bargaining rights, he has due process rights," said the attorney, Jonathan Diego.

Pleasantville teachers union president Jean Hovey said the coach didn't deserve termination.

"Nobody should have a promising teaching career shot down by an obvious bad taste of judgment. To go as far as they're going? That's unconscionable," said Hovey, president of the Pleasantville Education Association.

Guillen's record in three years as a Pleasantville Middle School teacher is satisfactory, he said.

Coyle said the coach had received a Crybaby Award as a teenager while playing in a summer recreation league and that it was meant to recognize athletic ability, leadership skills and vocal participation.

He wanted to honor Philo, who was a starter for most of the season on a team that won its league championship, not ridicule him, according to Coyle.

"The award was given without malice, but it did backfire," Coyle said.

Guillen later called the boy to tell him he should not be upset about the award, noting that he had received similar treatment when he was young, the father said.

But Philo said the award had caused his son to lose some of his passion for sports.

"He doesn't even want to play outside (now)," Philo told The Press of Atlantic City newspaper, adding that while his son may be short, he never backs down from a challenge. "I just keep telling him to stay on track. I keep him active. I just keep telling him, 'You're a good kid. Don't back down."'

Whether the boy suffers permanent harm from the humiliation depends on how strong he is emotionally and how much his friends, family and teammates support him, Popkin said.

Guillen, who makes $1,846 a year as coach, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Coyle, who spoke to him Tuesday, said Guillen was feeling "a lot of stress."

"He thought he was doing something in a positive way," Coyle said.

Let him teach, but not coach.

He's a special education teacher.

Do you know what type of kid a special ed teacher is in contact with on a daily basis?

Do you think it's right that this jerk should interact with the most at risk kids?

If anything I would say let him try to keep his coaching job but keep him the heck away from teaching.

That's rough :(

My daughter is in special education classes and I would not want him as a teacher for her. I feel so sorry for the kid that received that award.

I have mixed emotions up over the punishment. Clearly, he should not be allowed to coach. Just as clearly, his actions make it hard for any normal parents to entrust their kid to his care, especially in light of the fact that he is a special ed teacher. I do, however, think that firing him from his teaching slot may go a bit far. I guess that I would say ultimately that a 5 day suspension w/o pay from the teaching slot, and termination as coach, would probably be pretty appropriate. Knuckleheads can learn, and losing the $1,300 from the coaching job and a week's pay might prove to be a good learning experience.

I agree. If this were my kid, I'd flat out beat his a$$. Nothing crazy... wait, what am I talking about. I'd be out of my mind. Cursing and beating, beating and cursing. I probably wouldn't even remember any details.

Some might say you'd go after him like a tornado - with arms, and teeth, and . . . and . . . fingernails!

http://www.pitt.edu/~mrmst55/caray6.jpg

Fire him, I feel no remorse for this guy, I will not call him coach. As a coach, we are fighting for respect from these young people and their parents, while they are reading articles about sexual misconduct and things like this. Everytime something like this hits the papers, I have to be even more concerned about every little step I take because people are looking at their kid's coaches with a microscope.

I don't blame a parent for their scrutiny, they should, but what will happen is good coaches will be accused of things that just are not true because of the heightened sense of distrust caused by these bad apples. In that last sentence hold your tongue with you hand and say Apples.

I just want to know where I can get some of these "trophies":

<img src="http://www.batt.cc/images/crybaby.jpg" width="320" height="240" border="1" alt="Cry Baby Award">

I know a few coaches who I would like to give one to!

Gee, I wonder how long it'll be before he comes up with a "Top (slur for mentally handicapped person that begins with r)" award for his special ed class?

Pleasantville Middle School coach James Guillen

Guillen, 24, a special education teacher at the school

----------------------------------------------------

Notice the age of this guy. He is barely old enough to drink. Is it really that surprising that someone so young would pull an immature stunt like this?
Make him apologize, pay for a counselling session or two for the kid, suspend him from coaching for a couple of years until he grows up, but firing him from his teaching job is an overreaction.

Hold the Banquet again?????
 

I think holding the banquet again would create resentment from other parents and players, possibly targeted towards Terrence. I would rather see a press conference where the coach makes a public apology and presents Terrence with the same awards given the other players.

Here is the latest...

'Crybaby' Coach May Shed A Tear
PLEASANTVILLE, N.J., May 5, 2004


A basketball coach will be ordered to make a public apology, banned from coaching and sent to sensitivity training for giving a 13-year-old player a "Crybaby Award" at a season-ending banquet, officials said Wednesday.

Whether he loses his job remains to be seen.

James Guillen, 24, a third-year special education teacher at the Pleasantville Middle School, had a trophy made up showing an infant atop a pedestal, with a plaque bearing the inscription of player Terrence Philo Jr. and the words "Crybaby Award."

Terrence was spelled "Terrance."

After summoning the boy to attend the April 24 banquet, Guillen gave him the trophy, humiliating the boy in front of about 25 teammates and parents.

On Tuesday, the Pleasantville Board of Education voted to fire Guillen, rejecting Schools Superintendent Edwin Coyle's recommendation for lighter sanctions.

The nine-member board did so against the advice of its own attorney, who said state law mandates that hiring and firing recommendations come from the superintendent, not board members.

As a result, the vote to dismiss Guillen wasn't valid, according to Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association.

"It's not binding. It's not proper procedure," Belluscio said.

Coyle, who said dismissal would be too severe a punishment, said he would ban Guillen from ever coaching in Pleasantville schools and order the sensitivity training and public apology.

In addition, Guillen will be ordered to hold the banquet again and give Philo the trophy other players received. A veteran teacher will be assigned to mentor Guillen, Coyle said.

Coyle said he would ask the board a second time to authorize a five-day suspension without pay and the forfeiture of a $3,000 pay raise due Guillen.

Others want stiffer penalties.

"He should be fired," said Gina Jones, 43, of Pleasantville, a parent who attended Tuesday night's meeting. "You should just have better sense. He needs to publicly apologize and take some of the burden off little Terrence."

The boy's father, Terrence Philo, said he would leave the penalty to school officials.

"I just want what's right. I want my son to have a trophy and certificate like everyone else got. No less, no more," he said.

Guillen, who has yet to speak publicly about the incident, remains on the job as a special education teacher at Pleasantville Middle School.

A man who coached in a summer league in which Guillen played as a teenager defended him before the school board, saying the crybaby term was used to motivate players.

"'Crybaby' means you argue too much and to focus more on your play. It has to be taken in context," said Vernon Walker, 40. But he said what Guillen did showed poor judgment.

School Superintendent's resolution
 

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nation...-crybaby-award,0,7728038.story

According to the AP: "A middle school basketball coach who presented a "Crybaby Award" trophy to a 13-year-old player has been fired from his coaching job, and the board of education wants him out entirely, officials said Wednesday.

James Guillen, 24, must make a public apology, attend sensitivity training and hold a second banquet to give out a proper award, School Superintendent Edwin Coyle said. But he said he opposed firing him as a teacher...

On Tuesday, the Pleasantville Board of Education voted to fire Guillen, rejecting Coyle's recommendation for lighter sanctions even though the board's own attorney said hiring and firing recommendations must come from the superintendent.

Coyle called Guillen's actions "totally unacceptable" but said an outright dismissal would be too severe a punishment. He said he would ask the board a second time to authorize, instead of firing, a five-day suspension without pay for Guillen and the forfeiture of a $3,000 pay raise. The board meets again next Tuesday."

So the coach is a jerk, and this never should have happened...lost in all of this is the quiet dignity of the father and son...now-a-days most people would have already filed the law-suit, but this dad and his son are handling things differently. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this guy...

Lawsuit for what?
I agree that from what I have read the father has handled to whole matter very well, but I see no grounds for a civil suit.
I don't believe that it is against the law to embarrass someone. I also don't believe that what the coach did was either libel or slander. Unless you can show me some right of this child's that was violated, I don't believe that there is any reason to seek redress.
While our country may be court-crazy, I just don't see it in this instance.

I'll also note that it seems from the latest articles that the coach's penalty will be almost exactly what I wrote above.

I am not sure of the legalities of everything, but when I read this, I thought to myself that I would probably be looking at a lawsuit here. and I am pretty much against all the trivial lawsuits you see going around. But when an adult authority figure invites a 13 year old to a banquet with the intent of publicly humiliating him, causing God knows what psychological damage, I see this as pretty clear lawsuit material. This is done maliciously and with forethought. And I find it hard to believe that there wouldn't be grounds for it.

How about defamation of character?

But to *ell with the courts, I would have just taken care of it myself with my big mouth back at him at the banquet!

You don't really keep up with the lawsuits filed against educators, do you??? Having had one filed against me after making a student sit in the back of the class for too much talking and disrupting other students (no, it didn't go anywhere and I didn't lose any money, but did lose a lot of sleep and several years of life-expectancy), I think it's safe for me to say that many parents would have filed a lawsuit over this event...this dad didn't and I commend him for the way he is trying to make it a growing experience for his son...now if the coach turns up in the hospital in the next few weeks, I would commend the dad for that also!

I'm a pacifist in theory, but I'm with you here.

How about "cruel and unusual punishment"?. No, wait a second, that's in divorce cases. And I don't think those grounds are valid anymore. Although I suffered C&UP!

Nevada, I have to disagree with you - age has nothing to do with it. It's a sensitivity/kindness issue. Blaming it on age is selling some very good young people short. I would be more concerned about this teacher instructing spec ed children as they require constant esteem-building, approval and encouragement.

Reagrding the age thing, let me tell you a little story concerning my older daughter (an honor student thoughout HS and college and a good kid to boot). She was in an automobile accident when she was 17. It was a rainy night; she told me she had stopped at a stop sign, looked both ways then continued; car came around bend at high speed from other direction; they hit. The other car owner's insurance company said they had witnesses that saw her go through the stop sign without stopping; And they said these witnesses were OLDER ADULTS. Implication - who do you believe - older adults or a 17 year old. This infuriated me. Honesty is not an age thing either.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; In practice, there is.
??

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.
Albert Einstein

Basically, that was my point rocky. They could sue, but it probably wouldn't go anywhere. At least it shouldn't. Let me clearly state that I think what this guy did was wrong. I just think that it was legal, and that these type of incidents should be taken care of out of court.

You make some good points, but I still believe that we become wiser and make better decisions with age. Some people just take longer to grow-up than others. I put myself into that category.
I probably shouldn't write this on the Internet, but what the heck...
I know I made some poor decisions in my early 20s. For those of us who weren't raised under ideal conditions, all that we can do is learn as we go. Hopefully, that will be enough. Your daughter should consider herself very fortunate.

Where are the boundaries Nevada? You put your kid in school, he chooses to play on a school team. The coach uses the end of season banquet to humiliate him publicly in front of teammates and family. I am not a big fan of using the court system to question a coach's motivational techniques, but this crosses a clear line in my book.

It may not be a crime, but it can certainly result in a legitimate civil case.

Let me be clear that the only reason it didn't go to court was because I subscribe totally to the CYA method of dealing with behavior issues in my classes...I had all the documentation from phone calls home, parent conferences, referrals to the office, etc., and diagrams of the classroom that showed that where I moved him did not impact his learning environment, just isolated him from the kids he was disturbing...their lawyer looked at all of that documentation and left the room...had I not done all that, I would have lost and been liable (advice from my lawyer)...in the case of this idiot coach, what documentation could he provide other than that he knowingly and purposefully humiliated this kid by using his position of authority and influence as a school district employee...there could easily be civil action here...

First of all, let me say that I think giving the whining award was a very bad idea, but is this really national news? I work with kids and isn't it possible that this guy was looking for a way to get through to him? I use some sarcasm and a smile at times and it works. Could have this been a "tongue in cheek" award? I haven't followed the story all that closely, but I've never seen the coach's side of the story. Did anyone say that the kid was not a whiner? I have no problem with the guy losing his coaching job, but losing his teaching job is a whole different matter (as many of you have said). Kids that age say far worse things to each other on a daily basis, if this incident is going to "scar" him for the rest of his life, so badly that a civil suit can be filed, the kid has more problems than being a whiner. Just my $.02. I think we all have more important issues to be reading about on the national level.

If you can't see this as a problem. . .
 

First, there are clearly more important issues on the national level - this is more in the gossipy kind of news. It is another black mark on youth sports when stuff like this occurs.

However, if you equate kids razzing each other with this award, there is no comparison in my opinion. They had an end of season honors banquet and this coach went out of his way to single out one kid with a gag award. He specially invited him to come, and the kid came thining he was getting a special honor. It wasn't a laughing with you kind of award, it was a laughing at you kind of award - intended to motivate?!?

And yes, this kind of public humiliation from an authority figure and delivered in front of adults and fellow teammates is completely without any reasonable defense in my opinion. The coach's defense of it is weak as well. And this stunt would have far greater psychological impact then another kid hassling him would have.

Hawkscoach,

Just a hypothetical question (my favorite kind), but what if the coach had given out several gag awards at the banquet. Such as the "You get it award" for the player who didn't like to hustle, or the "runaway stagecoach award" for the player with the most PC fouls?
My biggest problem with this story is that the coach made a concerted effort to set the kid up, and then gave this kid the only "gag" award. I wonder what I'd think if the coach had given other similar awards, in which case the kid couldn't have claimed to have been "singled out."

I would have less problem with it if it was part of a set of gag awards. But as a coach, I don't think I would be doing this in an awards banquet with guests present. If I was inclined to do this, I would do this with the team only, and everybody would get something, and they could get me too. What's good for the goose . . .

That said, I think these kind of things generally are not the best idea. You think something is fun and/or funny, but a kid takes it quite differently and potentially quite personally. I think that the authority figures in kids lives need to know how to change behavior in a positive direction without turning a kid off or hurting them.

I try (not always successful) to monitor what is happening with my players so I can tell who is responding to what type of coaching. Lots of different personalities out there, as a coach you need to know how to effectively reach every kid. So some may like a joking reference to the way they are playing, others may need to be taken aside and counseled on their play or behavior, and some may want direct words that directly correct their actions. And the same kid may need different approaches for different issues.

If he DOES have bigger problems than being a whiner, this was especially egregious. Troubled kids need the most TLC, not insensitive jabs in the solar plexus.

And this jerk works with kids who have far bigger problems than being whiners, and is this how he treats them, too? A complete lack of comprehension of what a normal kid faces doesn't look like a very good trait in a special ed teacher.

The point of my reply was that we are only getting one side of the story. I'm not saying giving the trophy was right, but how do we know that he hadn't been trying "TLC" all season and was out of options. Everyone needs a kick in the rear at times. There just seems to be a growing trend to take the kid's side in every disagreement with adults. I have seen a couple of good coaches lose positions because of personality conflicts with kids. The kid complains to the parent, the parent complains to the school and the coach loses his job. This guy is a young coach, he made a mistake. It shouldn't be national news, and it shouldn't end his career.

Maybe he did try all season, but that would be all the more reason not to do this at the awards banquet. Obviously there are issues here, the method chosen to resolve them demonstrates extremely poor judgment. This is not a question of whether or not the kid was a PITA, it's a question of whether it is proper to address the interpersonal problems at the awards banquet.


There are many other ways to handle this. I am sypathetic to the (potential) problem, just not the solution.

I dunno...if my 12 year old son had a middle school basketball coach who felt he needed to usurp my parental authority and publicly humiliate my son because he ran out of options with my son and he felt my son needed a kick in the rear then for sure my going after his job would be the very least of his problems.

Kick in the rear. C'mon. :mad:

Hey! Maybe we can hire this coach as a "motivational speaker" to come out West and work with the Mariners??!!?? Couldn't hurt, could it?? They could use a kick-in-the-butt. Let's see...possible awards: 1)To Joel Pineiro the "You Throw like Vanna White" Award...2)To Ichiro the "I Thought You Were Supposed to be a Good Hitter" Award...3)to Bret Boone the "Stop Being a Puss and Hit the Damn Ball" Award...have to think of some more... btw: anyone else catch the Jorge Posada: You Should Have Ducked Sooner play last night...ouch!!!

Wow! That's gotta hurt!!

Good news/bad news kinda thing:

Good news is it won't change the way he looks.
Bad news is it won't change the way he looks.

:p

ROFLMAO!!!!

Out of options for what!?!? What possible good resolution to any problem could come out of making the kid into a kicking post for a roomful of peers and parents? I'm with Dan on this one. No 13 year old deserves this kind of treatment for any reason.

Ya know Juulie, I'm starting to belive we are what is wrong with this country. Due to our over-protective attitude and willingness to shower TLC we're raising a bunch of kids who are simply too weak to stand up for themselves and live their lives afraid to put themselves in the way of adversity. What our kids need is a good kick, straight to the rear.

Hoo-f@cking-rah.

Dan -- Don't take it personally. You know you've done a great job. When your kid can get through what he's been through, he and you both should get medals. I know that's true for a lot of parents in the US, but it strikes me especially right now, when some soldiers are making others look bad. It's the TLC parents who've raised good kids like yours that make you proud, and give some hope for the future.

Just saw it as I was reading this - ouch!

Of course I'm not taking any of this personally...and it for sure aint about wanting or getting medals.

It's about twisting ourselves into preztels trying to explain why stupid idiotic behavior might be justified. There's just a bit too much of that going on these days, don't you think?

And then to top it off with the equivalent of "...and THAT'S what wrong with kids these days..."

I'll tell you what's wrong with kids today.

Nothing. Not a damn thing.