The leaves are still on the trees, but the football season is over in Sayreville.
Following a two-hour meeting Monday night for players’ parents and guardians at which the decision was announced, Sayreville Superintendent of Schools Richard Labbe faced a bevy of news cameras and confirmed the rumor that had been circulating throughout the day: Sayreville War Memorial High School’s football season for all teams — freshman, junior varsity and varsity — has been canceled.
Labbe said he spoke with Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey, who informed the superintendent on Monday afternoon that a criminal investigation into alleged hazing incidents is ongoing. Then came damning statements from Labbe, who has chosen his words carefully since the allegations came to light on Thursday when Sayreville postponed its football game against South Brunswick. Sayreville later forfeited the game.
According to Labbe, Carey told him that there was enough evidence to substantiate that there were incidents of “harassment, intimidation and bullying as constituted by the definition within the anti-bullying statute that took place on a pervasive level, on a wide-scale level and at a level in which the players knew, tolerated and, in general, accepted.”
The incidents Labbe referred to allegedly involve several members of the varsity football team harassing freshman players. If that evidence turns out to be accurate, those words have ominous overtones for not only the players involved, but also for head coach George Najjar and the entire Sayreville football coaching staff, many of whom are teachers in the district and coach other sports.
More than 20 members of the freshman team have been interviewed in the investigation, according to one parent.
As he has since the incident came to light, Labbe expressed his concern for any potential victims and stressed the need to always put the safety and welfare of students first.
“Our focus is on the victims,” he said.
The superintendent added that he would like to set a standard by holding all students responsible for reporting bad behavior in the schools.
“We are standing up and making a statement here that we are not tolerating that behavior by any of our student-athletes,” Labbe said.
The cancellation culminates a bizarre weekend of rumors and innuendo that swept through the borough and onto social media and online chat rooms.
The Sayreville Police Department referred all media inquiries to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which did not respond to requests for comment.
It all began on Thursday afternoon when Sayreville abruptly canceled its much-anticipated match-up with South Brunswick. At that time, Labbe canceled the freshman, JV and varsity games due to “serious unforeseen circumstances.”
On Friday, Labbe held a press conference at the high school, where he took questions from irate parents, several of whom asked why all of the teams were being punished for the alleged actions of a few.
Parents were also upset because the press was notified before they were. At that time, the superintendent said he was acting upon the recommendation of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the reason for the cancellation was due to criminal investigation of “very serious” incidents of inappropriate conduct.
While several parents have expressed support for the coaching staff, one parent said she was surprised it took “so long for something like this to come out.”
Najjar took over the Sayreville program in 1994 after Sal Mistretta had turned it around. Najjar then turned Sayreville into a state power and a perennial contender in the competitive Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division. During his tenure, the Bombers have won several sectional titles, including three in a row from 2011-2013.
Meanwhile, the criminal investigation has overshadowed charges filed against Charlie Garcia, one of Sayreville’s assistant football coaches, in Bridgewater on Sept. 26. Garcia, who resides in South Plainfield, was stopped for a traffic violation on Route 22 by Bridgewater police, who asked for and received permission to search Garcia’s car and allegedly discovered 800 milligrams of steroids as well as 14 syringes.
Garcia has been charged with third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
Despite the charges, Sayreville played Manalapan the following day, losing to the Braves 64-28 in a nonconference game.
Garcia resigned his position early last week.
Labbe said the Garcia case is unrelated to the alleged incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying. However, the school administration and Sayreville police are investigating whether performance-enhancing substance have been used by any students.
The Sayreville Board of Education was scheduled to discuss personnel matters in a closed session last night.