Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Alleged abuses by Florida high school soccer coaches

When I started reading this story about alleged abuses perpetuated by three coaches of a girls' soccer team in Florida, I thought it was an Onion-like piece. Then I realized that in Florida it is not so unusual, perhaps, to have a high school named Citrus High School. But the allegations agains these coaches certainly seem so over the top that I wondered still.
But the complaint is legitimate. (As in the complaint has been filed, not that the allegations have been proven true at this point.) But the details are a little confusing. Here is what I have garnered thus far:
1. Some parents and players were concerned over the behavior of three male coaches who worked with the girls' JV soccer team at Citrus High School. This behavior included one coach who liked to watch the girls shower and who pulled down the pants of a varsity player, and another coach who made comments about his genitalia as well as that of his players.
2. Said parents and students made a complaint to the coaching staff and the District School Board of Citrus County. The district suspended without pay the coach who made the inappropriate comments during its investigation. They also reprimanded him.
3. After the invesitgation was complete, the girls who had complained feel they were retaliated against. They say they were made to feel unwelcome. Their families were threatened with lawsuits by the coaches' lawyers. And they allege the coaches asked the district to expel two of them because they allegedly live outside the Citrus County School District.
4. This has led to the current lawsuit against the district school board. The family is asking for an injunction (against the expulsion I would assume) and costs and damages for Title IX violations.

I suspect some of the details got muddled in the reporting of this story and in my re-reporting of it. As we find out more, we will certainly add/correct.