I would hope that the approximate 380 members of the teams that I had the honor to coach, as well as their parents and friends will remember me as:

An instructive coach who cared deeply about each team.

One of the top tennis coaches in the state with a record of 282-74 which include two state championships and two semi-finalists.

He taught good sportsmanship with respect for the game, its rules, team members and opponents. He always emphasized fair play – if the player was unsure about a call to always give the call to the opposition.

He tried to ensure that everyone on the team had fun while also providing a challenging learning environment.

I was involved in an incident in May of 2014 which I now believe was inappropriate and uncharacteristic of my behavior. I was giving instructions to the team at our practice facility and I repeatedly asked everyone to be quiet but a number of the girls continued talking while I was trying to provide instruction to the team. Three times I asked a group of three girls to be quiet but they continued despite my requests. I turned to one of the girls and tapped her on her backside with my clipboard and asked them to be quiet once again. This gesture was not done with any intent other than to get her attention and to try and get her to focus with the rest of the team.

This act was reported to the School Authorities who then reported it to the Brookline Police Department, as required by state law. The police conducted a swift and thorough investigation and cleared me of any and all charges. I was placed on administrative leave as soon as the incident was reported, apologized to the School administration and was hopeful that after the investigation was concluded with my exoneration that I would return as the team’s coach. Shortly afterward I was informed that the school  was “going in another direction” and that I would no longer be the team’s coach. I was not fired, nor did I resign – I was merely not rehired. I had hoped that all would return to normal after this incident but an article in a recent “Sagamore” was published which indicated that my conduct was anything but appropriate. The claims in the article were inaccurate, unfounded and just plain untrue!  I regret that any of the girls may have misperceived any of my actions or motives. I do feel, however,  that the administrators/teachers who supervise the publication did not ensure that such an article was first vetted to ensure fair and impartial reporting.

I have coached for 19 years without any incidents which caused team members to be uncomfortable – 19 winning seasons with regular compliments from competing schools such as Weymouth, Natick and Framingham stating that our team had the nicest and most sportsmanlike players of any teams they played! That meant more to me than any single victory I could have achieved.

On June 6th I will have the honor of being inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame – I thank my former players for helping me achieve this singular award and I would like to be remembered for my years of contribution to the teams and the school.