Grid coach gets boot

MONROE — Longtime football coach Milt Theodosatos arrived in 1999 at Monroe High School with a reputation for rebuilding struggling programs. He won’t get a chance with the Falcons to add to his legend.

By: Ken Weingartner
   Interim Schools Superintendent James Sheerin said Wednesday he would not recommend to the school board next week that it renew Mr. Theodosatos’ contract, which is reviewed annually. Dr. Sheerin would not discuss the reason for the move because it is a personnel matter.
   The school board is scheduled to receive the district’s renewal list Wednesday night, and Mr. Theodosatos’ name will not appear on that list, Dr. Sheerin said. He said he believed he had the full support of the board regarding his recommendation.
   "I’m sitting with a decision I feel very comfortable with," he said.
   Board President Joseph Homoki would not comment.
   Mr. Theodosatos, who was informed Monday of his termination, said the administration was "gutless" and "very unprofessionally" in its handling of the situation.
   He said an incident during a March workout in the school’s weight room, during which he slapped a player as part of a "trust drill," was the reason for his dismissal. He said he believed administrators waited until they knew assistant football coach Jim Griffin would be available as a replacement before making the move.
   Mr. Griffin, a former Hightstown High School varsity football coach who was in his first year at Monroe, had been under consideration for a job outside the district, Mr. Theodosatos said. He said the administration put Mr. Griffin, a longtime friend, in "a difficult situation." Mr. Griffin said Thursday he would not comment.
   Mr. Theodosatos, who retired from teaching more than a decade ago, said the slapping drill was used to help players develop a "thick skin" and learn not to take things personally. He said he slapped one player to demonstrate to the others how to do the drill. A couple of players then participated in the drill.
   Athletic Director Doug Bayly found out about the drill in March and "didn’t go for it," Mr. Theodosatos said. Mr. Theodosatos said he told the athletic director that he would not use it again. He said that last week word of the incident made it to the school’s principal.
   Mr. Bayly said he could not comment on the coach’s situation because it was a personnel matter. Principal James Misek said through his secretary that he would not comment about the coach.
   Mr. Theodosatos said none of the players or player’s parents complained about the drill. He said they knew and accepted "this was football, not tiddlywinks."
   Football player Mike Spiga, who will be a senior in September, said too much was made of the slapping incident.
   "They were doing a stress drill … which had to do with not letting the elements of the game — like a cheap shot — affect you," he said. "He told one player to smack the other — not hard — just a little smack, and told the other player not to react."
   Player Brian Staffa, who also will be a senior, said the team stood behind Mr. Theodosatos.
   "The people a coach affects most is the players," he said. "We love him; we actually saw the team coming together as one big unit. We felt that after the past three years, this would be the year. This puts a major damper on all of us."
   Dr. Sheerin said the district immediately would start the search for a new coach.
   "We’re working vigorously to make certain to address the matter in a way so the kids are not hurt," he said. "There are no assurances there won’t be some disruption. But we will try to get a replacement in a timely way.
   "This was a decision based on the facts. We have to look at the big picture. The kids may not see it the way we do," he said.
   Monroe football has been on a rocky road in recent years. The school district halted the program in the middle of the 1996 season and nearly dropped it completely. Since returning to action in 1997, the team has gone 7-31, including 2-8 in each of Mr. Theodosatos’ two seasons.
   "If they wanted to get rid of me they could’ve told me a long time ago so I could relocate," said Mr. Theodosatos, the only man in the state to have taken teams from five different schools to the playoffs.
   "It was done very unprofessionally. I’m very embarrassed for them, not for me. At this late date, it’s not fair to the kids and it’s not fair to me."
Staff Writer Al Wicklund and Sports Editor Rich Fisher contributed to this report