Post by cviller on Jan 15, 2008 10:08:11 GMT -5
Principal says he never hassled son of ex-WVU coach
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sportswriter
MORGANTOWN - A middle school principal today disputed a report by former WVU defensive backs coach Tony Gibson that he hassled Gibson's 13-year-old son.
"It's a lie," said James Napolillo, principal of Suncrest Middle School. "I don't know why he would say such a thing."
Gibson is one of several WVU coaches who have followed Rich Rodriguez to Michigan.
After Rodriguez's press conference in Ann Arbor on Friday, reporters had the chance to interview his new assistants individually.
Gibson spoke about the bitterness of some WVU fans concerning Rodriguez's departure.
He was quoted in The Detroit News as saying: "My wife had to go into my son's school and talk to the principal because the principal was saying things to my 13-year-old son.
"I'm from there, my brother works in public service, and people say things. Where I'm from, it's a small town and they support my move. (West Virginia) is a place we need to stay out of for a while."
Gibson could not be reached for comment today.
Monongalia County Superintendent Frank Devono did not return a message.
However, Napolillo said he spoke with Devono on Sunday night about Gibson's allegation.
"He laughed," Napolillo said.
Napolillo said on the morning of Dec. 18, a day after the Gibson family appeared at Rodriguez's introductory press conference at Michigan, he and other employees at the school did tear apart a cardboard likeness of Rodriguez and throw the pieces in the garbage.
Napolillo said he and others were unhappy about Rodriguez's departure and wanted to get rid of the cutout.
He said the standup cutout was not torn up in anger. Instead, the principal said staff members had been joking about it.
He said that it hurt him to see Rodriguez leave because of their past relationship.
"I coached Rich in Pop Warner football, and I have pictures of him all over the wall in my office," Napolillo said. "He even said one of the best influences in football was his Pop Warner coach, and he named me. I had that on the wall, too. But I was upset, as were many other fans."
Suncrest opened with a two-hour delay that day, and Gibson's 13-year-old son returned to school. He entered the office in the afternoon.
"He said the kids were teasing him, and he wanted to go home," Napolillo said. "We talked him into staying and, as a matter of fact, I said, 'Who is teasing you? Let me know and I'll go and tell them to stop.' He didn't want to tell me their names. We took it upon ourselves to keep him (in the office) all day because he was upset. To be honest, he was upset not because he was getting teased, but because he was leaving."
The next day, Napolillo said Gibson's wife, Kerry, came into the office.
Napolillo said she was concerned with the way her son was being treated in school and Napolillo again offered to speak with the kids causing trouble. He said he was never given any names.
Kerry then asked why Napolillo had torn apart the Rodriguez cutout and had the kids step on it.
"There was a two-hour delay that day, so there were no kids here to even see that. I'm not that stupid," Napolilo said. "I don't know where she got that from, and I told her that was not true."
Napolillo has been at Suncrest for nine years and the principal for six. Of his 30 years in education, 19 have been spent as a principal.
"We're here for the safety and security of the kids," Napolillo said. "Regardless of what happens with parents, we never take it out on the kids. We're a national Blue Ribbon school and probably the top-achieving school in the state of West Virginia. We're an honored school, and we would never do something like that.
"Even though we're about 500 yards from the stadium, we would still never take anything like that out on the kids."
Napolillo said he has not heard from Tony Gibson. His son remains enrolled at Suncrest.
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sportswriter
MORGANTOWN - A middle school principal today disputed a report by former WVU defensive backs coach Tony Gibson that he hassled Gibson's 13-year-old son.
"It's a lie," said James Napolillo, principal of Suncrest Middle School. "I don't know why he would say such a thing."
Gibson is one of several WVU coaches who have followed Rich Rodriguez to Michigan.
After Rodriguez's press conference in Ann Arbor on Friday, reporters had the chance to interview his new assistants individually.
Gibson spoke about the bitterness of some WVU fans concerning Rodriguez's departure.
He was quoted in The Detroit News as saying: "My wife had to go into my son's school and talk to the principal because the principal was saying things to my 13-year-old son.
"I'm from there, my brother works in public service, and people say things. Where I'm from, it's a small town and they support my move. (West Virginia) is a place we need to stay out of for a while."
Gibson could not be reached for comment today.
Monongalia County Superintendent Frank Devono did not return a message.
However, Napolillo said he spoke with Devono on Sunday night about Gibson's allegation.
"He laughed," Napolillo said.
Napolillo said on the morning of Dec. 18, a day after the Gibson family appeared at Rodriguez's introductory press conference at Michigan, he and other employees at the school did tear apart a cardboard likeness of Rodriguez and throw the pieces in the garbage.
Napolillo said he and others were unhappy about Rodriguez's departure and wanted to get rid of the cutout.
He said the standup cutout was not torn up in anger. Instead, the principal said staff members had been joking about it.
He said that it hurt him to see Rodriguez leave because of their past relationship.
"I coached Rich in Pop Warner football, and I have pictures of him all over the wall in my office," Napolillo said. "He even said one of the best influences in football was his Pop Warner coach, and he named me. I had that on the wall, too. But I was upset, as were many other fans."
Suncrest opened with a two-hour delay that day, and Gibson's 13-year-old son returned to school. He entered the office in the afternoon.
"He said the kids were teasing him, and he wanted to go home," Napolillo said. "We talked him into staying and, as a matter of fact, I said, 'Who is teasing you? Let me know and I'll go and tell them to stop.' He didn't want to tell me their names. We took it upon ourselves to keep him (in the office) all day because he was upset. To be honest, he was upset not because he was getting teased, but because he was leaving."
The next day, Napolillo said Gibson's wife, Kerry, came into the office.
Napolillo said she was concerned with the way her son was being treated in school and Napolillo again offered to speak with the kids causing trouble. He said he was never given any names.
Kerry then asked why Napolillo had torn apart the Rodriguez cutout and had the kids step on it.
"There was a two-hour delay that day, so there were no kids here to even see that. I'm not that stupid," Napolilo said. "I don't know where she got that from, and I told her that was not true."
Napolillo has been at Suncrest for nine years and the principal for six. Of his 30 years in education, 19 have been spent as a principal.
"We're here for the safety and security of the kids," Napolillo said. "Regardless of what happens with parents, we never take it out on the kids. We're a national Blue Ribbon school and probably the top-achieving school in the state of West Virginia. We're an honored school, and we would never do something like that.
"Even though we're about 500 yards from the stadium, we would still never take anything like that out on the kids."
Napolillo said he has not heard from Tony Gibson. His son remains enrolled at Suncrest.
