Sometimes turmoil ferments beneath the surface and explodes like a volcano. If you are a Napa High football fan, that volcano exploded several miles on Wednesday with the resignation of football head coach Troy Mott after 11 seasons.
Mott submitted his letter of resignation to principal Annie Petrie:
The 45-year old Mott, who is a 1989 Napa High graduate, will remain on staff as a physical education teacher. The Napa Valley Register confirmed Mott’s resignation as football coach in Wednesday’s online edition. The program has been mired with allegations of hazing by players over the last two years. The Register also reported that the Napa Police Department has referred 14 players and one coach to the district attorney for possible charges.
There were also reports that the entire football coaching staff resigned following Mott’s decision but none have said so publically.
District spokeswoman Elizabeth Emmett told the Register the entire coaching staff had been told earlier this year that they would have to reapply for their jobs in the wake of the hazing scandal. That philosophy was not lockstep with Mott desired.
Sophomore quarterback Johnny Torres has been the student-athlete at the forefront of the allegations as he faces expulsion in lieu of the allegations. Torres has pleaded his case at two separate hearings in front of a panel of Napa Valley Unified School District administrators. Torres, who has been an honor roll student has been out of school for nine weeks.
The Register reported that Torres faces allegations that he dragged another student into the locker room and held him down while another student “poked him in the butt” while clothed, Torres said that he had no involvement in the incident nor did he witness it.
Some of his teammates named him when they were being questioned in order to save themselves, he said. Those students have since told him that they knew they were giving false information and that they would straighten it out with the panel, he said.
The Napa Police, who conducted an investigation separate from the district, said last week that 14 male students as well as an adult coach may face criminal charges in connection with the alleged hazing incident. Another 16 students have been identified as possible victims, police said. Police have not identified any of the alleged offenders by name, so it is unknown at this time whether or not Torres is listed in the police investigation.
There’s a couple things I want to make clear before proceeding. For starters, when I stepped away from sports journalism as a career but established a blog, I mainly wanted this website to be about positive news. I support all the sports programs in the Napa Valley, from American Canyon to the South to Calistoga to the North. I have great relationships with many people but some days you have to bring a gas can and matches.
This would be that day.
Did something take place among players? No question. As the adage goes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. To which extent is in the eye of the beholder. Torres’ testimony tells me this, it begs the question, there’s a difference between horseplay and abuse. How do we know if the latter took place? And if other kids named Torres to said incident when he was not involved, shame on them.
Another student-athlete linked to the hazing is Josh Marshall, who told the Register he was nearly kicked out of school until the district realized it wrongly included him in this fiasco. Marshall added that he was not even at school on the day of said incident.
To that end, the school and the district screwed up the investigation and it’s complete nonsense that Mott was backed into a corner. The district and the school are clearly doing this for self-serving reasons. How in hell do you link a youngster to an incident that was not even at school? That buffoonery alone gives me pause.
I have known Mott for most of my life. Our families grew up on the same street. I always admired Mott from up close and afar. Mott’s resume speaks for itself.
Mott’s career record at Napa is 94-35. He led Napa to Northern California and state rankings. Napa won five MEL titles and the 2007 Sac-Joaquin championship. He had only had one losing season with the Indians.
Mott, who was honored by the CIF state office has one of its Model Coach Award winners for the 2015-16 school year. The CIF Model Coach Award program is designed to recognize coaches who have served as positive role models in their schools and communities. A model coach demonstrates and teaches trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship, the CIF said.
You also have to look at Mott’s impact off the field. The fact that alums and former players regularly maintain contact, watch practice when returning to visit and ask most anyone that played for Mott and they will tell you the lasting impact on their lives.
Mott was not just about winning on the the field, he held his youngsters to a high standard away from it. His philosophy was, “if I can trust you in the classroom, I can trust you on the field.”
He helped to establish “Athletes as Readers and Leaders,” a program where his players read books at local elementary schools while talking about nutrition, fitness and teamwork.
Sure, on paper, Mott’s departure goes as a resignation. Read between the lines, however, it was not. The school and the district wanted a say in whom Mott hired and/or rehired as assistant coaches. Mott’s message was “put an egg in your shoe and beat it.”
The common job market message is “everyone is replaceable.” Can Napa High find a football coach to win games, draw up plays, etc.? Perhaps so. Are they going to get the same quality back in whom they replace Mott with? I wouldn’t bet on it.
At the same time, you have to ask the tough question of just where did he drop the ball? It's clear something happened among the players. We don't know exactly what, nor do we know who was involved. But something happened that was serious enough to warrant two separate investigations by two separate entities.
ReplyDeleteCoach Mott may not have been directly responsible. Maybe none of his coaches were directly responsible. Yet somehow, in an era where, quite frankly, any kid that doesn't know better should be sent back to pre-school until they learn to find ESPN on their computer (how many hazing incidents have been reported in the last 5 years in college and pros again?), an incident occurred. Somehow, in an era where every coach in every sport is put through background checks and required to complete certain "safe sport" training programs about hazing and sexual assault, something happened. Somehow, this "Model Coach" wasn't able to get the messages of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring and good citizenship across to his players.
It is always sad to see a giant brought down by someone small. Hopefully those responsible will come forward and admit that they hurt Coach Mott, his staff, their teammates, the alumni and the school. In other words, hopefully they grow up.