Coaches of NJ high school football team in hazing scandal suspended

October 11, 2014: A roadside sign displays the Sayreville War Memorial High School football team schedule on Main Street in Sayreville, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Football coaches at a New Jersey high school whose season was canceled due to a hazing scandal have been suspended from their teaching and coaching positions, according to a published report. 

NJ.com reported that five Sayreville War Memorial High School coaches who are also tenured teachers in the school district were suspended with pay, including head coach George Najjar. It was not clear when the suspensions took effect, though one source told NJ Advance Media that none of the coaches were in school on Friday. Some members of the coaching staff are also substitute teachers in the district. 

The suspensions were the latest action taken in connection with the ongoing hazing investigation, which resulted in seven players being charged in connection with a series of alleged incidents that took place over several days this past September. Three of those players were charged Oct. 10 with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual contact, criminal restraint, and hazing for engaging in an act of sexual penetration upon one of the juvenile victims. 

NJ.com had previously reported, citing a parent of one of the football team’s players, that the hazing involved upperclassmen holding a freshman down on the locker room floor while one of the older players anally penetrated the younger player with his finger. All seven players have been suspended from school indefinitely as a result of their arrests, while Sayreville school district superintendent Richard Labbe canceled the team’s remaining games earlier this month. 

Labbe has said that based upon an initial report from the Middlesex County prosecutor, he does not believe the coaching staff knew about the hazing. None of the coaches have been criminally charged in connection with the alleged hazing. 

Click for more from NJ.com. 

View the original article here

Coaches of NJ high school football team in hazing scandal suspended

Players, coaches satisfied with Flow/ESPN clinic

ESPN commentator and former Reggae boy Robbie Earle took the field at midday Tuesday to deliver a world-class training session to participants from the 26 teams in the Flow Champions Cup.

He was joined by former national goalkeeper Aaron Lawrence and Andre Virtue to sharpen the skills of coaches, forwards and goalkeepers preparing for the upcoming premier national knockout competition.Assistant head coach for Waterhouse Football Club, Junior Francis, agreed that the master class came at the right time. “It is always good to have a football clinic right before the season so that you can impart the knowledge to the rest of players on the team, so as to improve all their skill set. Scoring is always the most important thing in football and this is an area that we are lacking in.“Today (Tuesday) was all about improving technique, so by incorporating both coaches and players in the same training session you are able to single out what needs to be done to increase the goals being scored in the competition,” said Francis.As for what you can expect from Waterhouse FC in the Flow Champions Cup, Francis says that he intends to increase the number of goals this season. “Last year, Waterhouse scored 22 goals in the National Premier League; in this competition, expect much more.”Earle also shared the sentiments of the Waterhouse coach, saying that he was intent on working on the skills of strikers in the one-day session. “This master class model is definitely another big step towards supporting the growth and development of local football players and by extension the sport. Goalscoring is an area that needs attention, and so I was happy that I was able to work with the coaches and strikers on improving this skill,” said Earle.The scorer of Jamaica’s first World Cup Finals goal in France in 1998, Earle also spoke to the continuity of the football master class programme, adding that an email account was setup: robbieearle@flowjamaica.com, to continue the conversation with coaches and players after the clinic.As for Lawrence, the Flow/ESPN initiative is an important step in the right direction for football in Jamaica. “I was pleased to be a part of this programme today, and I could not be happier with the response from the players and coaches.“We focused on basic techniques, agility training and how to position in the goal. The goalkeepers were very impressive and have said that they intend to continue practising what they learnt in this session. I know that they are all looking forward to the next master class.”The Flow Champions Cup will kick off on September 11, with the first match being played at the Frome Complex in Westmoreland between Savannah FC and Holland United FC. Flow announced on Tuesday that teams will be vying for an increased cash prize of $1 million.Nicole Campbell, Flow’s corporate social responsibility specialist, was also pleased with how the master class turned out. “Today we achieved full participation from the 26 teams in the competition. After speaking with the participants, it was clear that everyone walked away with a better understanding of the areas that needed improvement and, more importantly, how they were going to tackle it. I know many of the players are keen on demonstrating what they’ve learnt today in the upcoming matches of the Flow Champions Cup. All I can say is that this master class just up the ante, and it is going to be a very exciting competition,” she said.Campbell also spoke to an expanded programme going forward. “Today demonstrated Flow and ESPN’s continued commitment to sports development in Jamaica. As a result of the success achieved here today, we will definitely be looking at ways in which we can reach more players through this football programme.Robbie Earle in a practice session with the strikers in Tuesday’s Flow/ESPN Football master class.

View the original article here

Players, coaches satisfied with Flow/ESPN clinic

Haile Mikael for FIVB Level I Coaches Course in St Lucia

Sport

Saturday, July 20, 2013

ANOTHER Jamaican volleyball coach will have the opportunity to further develop his technical competence when a FIVB Level I Coaches Course serves off in St Lucia from July 21 to 31.Haile Mikael, who has been the brain-child behind Primary-level school volleyball in Westmoreland, will attend the course.“Haile is an inspiration to me,” said Major Warrenton Dixon, President of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA).“It was he who conceptualised and implemented the current Primary-level school volleyball competition, which he initiated in Westmoreland. He is primarily responsible for my belief that despite all the odds, the competition could be run if we wanted it to.“We have been doing so without sponsorship since 2009 and I had the joy of watching a product of that competition compete in the Under-19 Beach Volleyball Championship in Portugal recently. Mikael’s continued involvement at the grass-roots level of volleyball is therefore well worthy of this investment.”Mikael has coached three of the teams to have won the four-year-old Westmoreland Primary-level Schools Volleyball Competition. He is also currently involved in the execution of the JaVA U-13 volleyball programme in Westmoreland.“I am very pleased that JaVA considers my effort worthy of investment and has sent me on this course,” stated Mikael. “I am very passionate about volleyball and I like the direction in which it is heading in Jamaica. Grass-roots development in any sport is very important for sustainability, so I lift my hat to JaVA for the emphasis they have placed on this.”Mikael was slated to depart the island yesterday, and he returns on August 2. The cost of his participation in the course will be covered in the main by the North, Central America and Caribbean (NORCECA) Volleyball Confederation.

View the original article here

Haile Mikael for FIVB Level I Coaches Course in St Lucia