May 6, 2015

Anthony DeSapio, President

Bishop Blanchet High School

8200 Wallingford Ave N.

Seattle, WA 98103

 

Re: Head Football Coach Aaron Maul

 Dear President DeSapio:

 As parents of current, former, and future students at Bishop Blanchet High School, we feel it is our obligation to voice to you our collective concern regarding recent actions by the administration. At a player-coach meeting on Monday, the principal made it clear that she had made the decision to terminate Coach Maul’s coaching duties last week, regardless of whether and/or what sanctions may or may not be handed down by the Metro League. It appears this decision was made after having decided to self-report what was unilaterally deemed to be violations of WIAA “recruiting” rules, which has now been widely publicized without explanation of the circumstances; of course, this has led to rampant speculation that is even more damaging to the coach, the school, and its student-athletes who are unable to explain or defend themselves.

We are concerned about whether Coach Maul may have been fired and personally blamed by the school’s administration for alleged future disbursal of funds by Bishop Blanchet High School.  The alleged “recruiting” appears to involve donations that were accepted by the Business and/or Development offices accompanied by donor letters (to which thank you cards were issued by these offices), maintained and accounted for by the business/finance office, and administered by the School’s Business Office.  It also appears the alleged activity consists solely of calculating potential future Financial Aid awards by the school as requested by needy families through the Financial Aid application and appeal process (via the business office) and that no funds have actually been disbursed or received by any student for next year. The coach has no access to or control over the accounting or administration of these funds, nor does he have supervisory authority over this staff. 

The fact that the school’s public announcements have left the impression that Coach Maul has intentionally or historically recruited players to come play football for BBHS by personally promising or disbursing funds to them for the purpose of playing football or to give the football team a competitive advantage over other Metro schools, or that any such players have ever actually competed in an athletic contest on behalf of the BBHS football team as a result of such conduct is extremely misleading and damaging to the reputation of the coach, the school, and its players who have properly participated in the Metro League.

First and foremost, we wish to make it clear that this letter is not being sent out of concern over whether our football team gains or loses any competitive advantage on the field; we as parents fully support compliance with WIAA rules and agree that our football program should (and has) set the standard in that regard in so many areas.  However, there is concern that the manner in which this recent investigation and report was conducted left little opportunity for the coaches allegedly involved to fully or adequately respond to the charges, nor to provide their side of the story to the league, or whether the process and evidence was reviewed or reviewable by anyone familiar with WIAA rules interpretation.

Instead, the coaches and the BBHS community were blind-sided with multiple mass public emails announcing the football coach had committed recruiting violations and was fired. The coaches have made it clear they disagree with these allegations, yet appear to have no recourse to seek review, nor will the League conduct an investigation because of how the report was handled. 

Among other questions from the student-players and parents trying to seek clarification and understanding, the principal was asked to answer a simple question to which she continues to be unable to provide an answer:

“HOW DOES THIS MAKE BBHS A BETTER PLACE FOR OUR STUDENTS?”

The principal’s only response to questions issuing an automatic death penalty was to say “read the newspapers—you’ll see that every head coach who has ever had a recruiting violation has been fired.” Which brought up the important point raised by several parents: “but how does this action reflect our Catholic values” of love, respect, forgiveness, the school’s mission to support a transformative and collegial environment for its students and teachers, and recognition of qualities that far outweigh wins or losses on the football field. These questions were most emphatically raised by the families of a classmate who had been killed freshman year and a teammate who had recently lost his father, and both of whom describe Coach Maul as being an invaluable source of support and comfort to their sons and their families throughout these incredibly challenging circumstances.  Shockingly, this reference to the values of our Catholic school coupled with explanations of Coach Maul’s impact on our young men was actually met with a snide response of “Aww, give me a break” by the principal in front of our children.

This attitude was particularly disturbing and in stark contrast to the message Coach Maul continued to deliver to his player after the principal left the room. Despite the circumstances, he continued to encourage the boys to live their lives purposefully, with determination and love, and to be thankful for the people in their lives. He continued to encourage them to “ignore the scoreboard” and keep on playing hard and striving to be their best. He assured them he would be ok, and did not complain or express negativity.

The question of whether mistakes may have been made aside---for neither parents nor coaches have been allowed to review the conclusions---many in the Blanchet community share concerns over whether the knee-jerk reaction to immediately fire the football coach (and losing the entire coaching staff) is in any way in the best interest of the school, the students, or the community. We question why this situation appears to have been handled more in a manner involving surreptitious trickery than transparent collegiality and support. Why this could not potentially be evaluated as a learning opportunity for the administration and coaching staff to put in place better systems, training, and paths of communication. Certainly if violations truly occurred, why the coach allegedly involved could not be offered the opportunity to cooperatively work with administration to address the issue both in-house and with respect to potential reporting to the league and remedial action. However, this particular situation appears far from clear, and appears to lack the hallmarks of intentional “recruiting” that the rules are designed to address.[1]

To describe the impact on the players of taking away their coach as devastating is an understatement. To see a room full of young men in tears and sobbing over the treatment and loss of their mentor was heartbreaking and a testament to the impact he has had on them during their high school years. While this may seem over-dramatic to some when describing a football coach, and certainly this is not to imply he is somehow perfect or above reproach, it is impossible to imagine the traditions he has instituted in this program without him at the helm: weekly unity dinners, overnight retreats, summer camp, youth camps, senior retreat, and constant availability to the boys by being present on campus during the school day.  This is a coach that attracts and keeps students and families at Bishop Blanchet, as opposed to other schools for the right reasons—with winning football games actually being last on the list. For those of us whose sons choose to spend their time outside of class engaged in athletic activities, the nature and character of the coaches they spend a significant amount of time with and who so extensively create and affect the environment, growth, and development IS a significant factor in choosing a school and encouraging others to choose BBHS as well.

If the principal attended any of these events, she may have a better understanding of how powerfully he has communicated a “more than winning” message and actively demonstrated how to become men of faith, courage, and loyalty; he spends more time in meaningful prayer and encouraging the boys to be good students, husbands, fathers, and friends and teammates, and to remain ever-grateful to their parents and families and to reciprocate the love and support they show for them.  He has been the first to respond to students in crisis, regardless of their competitive role on the football team, and to actively demonstrate caring and compassion for students who don’t play football at all; he is a coach his players immediately contact when a teammate is in distress, and one who shows up personally to offer support and compassion along with the boys themselves.  More than any one game or accomplishment on the field, no one will ever forget impactful sight of every BBHS football player in uniform, alongside their coaches, lining the walls of the church for the duration of Peter Flanagan’s funeral, and as a team mourning the loss of their teammates’ sister, Molly Conley, and another classmate this year. 

Much concern has been expressed regarding the judgment exercised by the administration regarding its manner of investigation, response, communication, and decision-making in the past few years. This is not the first time such concerns have been voiced, and they are heightened by the far-reaching impact on our students, school, and community in this regard. The principal refused to answer questions about what support, help, or compliance training  pertaining to the specific issues involved here had been provided to the Business or Development offices, or the coaching staff.

As parents, we request that you:

1.     Hold a parent meeting this week during which you will discuss the findings & conclusions, evidence, and procedures followed during this investigation and report as well as the scope of the investigation; explain the training and experience the principal has for conducting such investigations and evaluating application of WIAA rules in the context of private schools; 

2.     Provide a copy of the findings and conclusions to the affected coaches and provide an opportunity for higher review of the investigation of this situation, including an opportunity for the subject coaches to review the findings & conclusions, the evidence upon which is was based, and contribute information and a response in a meaningful manner, and for witnesses to provide additional information. This is critical as is appears that the Metro League is awaiting BBHS to propose its own level of  possible sanctions and that it had no role in suggesting that firing the football coach would be necessary or expected; how can the school community and players have confidence that their interests are being adequately represented in this next step with the League under the circumstances?

3.     Allow Coach Maul to address the Metro League Board on behalf of the BBHS to offer facts and evidence regarding his alleged actions, understanding, and motivation, and an opportunity to clear his name. 

4.     Request WIAA assistance to develop appropriate systems for administering and accounting practices involving donations and Financial Aid requests/awards in a private school setting and conduct a comprehensive review of the Business and Development offices processes, procedures, training, and compliance guidance from the administration.  WIAA has Assistant Executive Directors available to consult with school administration regarding best practices and rules interpretations.

5.     Reinstate Aaron Maul as the head football coach at BBHS and work with him, his staff, and school administration to set up clear protocol, systems, and communication to maintain WIAA compliance and to maintain a supportive, collegial, and productive working environment.

We wish to continue to make it clear that we are NOT challenging the school’s authority or interest in investigating or reporting potential violations of WIAA rules;  if a violation has occurred and sanctions are warranted, we encourage the school and coaching staff to accept sanctions the League or WIAA determine is appropriate. However, we do insist that actions and decisions that have such a far-reaching impact on BBHS staff, students, and community and are taken on behalf of our school be conducted in the most fair and impartial manner, and are made with support and respect for the people involved. The administration has the opportunity to make this an opportunity for growth and improvement, rather than destruction and discord. We urge you to you take that opportunity and demonstrate true leadership through your actions and reinstate Coach Maul as the head football coach. Thank you.

 

BE TRUE…………..BE KIND…………………BE BRAVE.

 

                                                            /s/ Concerned Parents of BBHS

[1] For example, did the investigation and report address whether the situation had anything to do with actually inducing players to come to BBHS for the purpose of football, or to stay at BBHS for the purpose of football, or did it address whether students of “special talent” were induced or promised anything for playing football?  Do these families know their player was supposedly induced to play football for BBHS?  Did it evaluate or report on whether players with far greater level of   “ special skills” that would have given the football team a competitive edge have decided not to come to BBHS and/or have actually left the school because they were denied any such inducements?  Were factors and context that run contrary to the suggestion that this coach is able to or intentionally manipulated the Financial Aid process—which is not run or managed by him , his staff, or staff that answer to him-- for the purpose of gaining a competitive edge for the football team considered or reported on at all?  Was this an ongoing practice or a new and unique situation that just arose a few weeks ago and could have been immediately rectified by clear communication among the staff and administrators, and collaborative efforts to rectify? Has the school considered a history of the football coaches repeatedly referring students to the business & counseling office to deal with matters regarding Financial Aid? More importantly, has any BBHS football team or player actually benefitted or gained a competitive advantage to date as a result of these alleged violations (i.e. has any player actually received an  illegal inducement or funding for purpose of playing football? Or did this involve forecasted awards administered by the business office for next year that could have been and still could be immediately rectified and re-directed? Has any player who allegedly received an illegal inducement played a down of football in a Metro game or even attended a practice after allegedly having received such “inducement” to do so? ).  Did the coach actively attempt to hide any activity from the administration, illustrating knowledge or intent of  improper activity? When the Business and/or Development Offices accepted donations accompanied with donor letters describing their wishes and decided how to administer and account for  the funds raise any questions to their supervisors or the coaches about appropriate processes?  Did they have any compliance concerns? Did they report feeling inappropriately pressured or directed by a coach in a manner that they felt they could not refuse or question? Does BBHS have a compliance officer to audit accounts or activity and  flag and address in a productive manner possible compliance issues? Was this information reported or explained to the Metro league for consideration as they evaluate possible sanctions against the school?