Pubdate: Sun, 25 Mar 2007 Source: Brownsville Herald, The (TX) Copyright: 2007 The Brownsville Herald Contact: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sections/contact/ Website: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1402 Author: Jose Borjon Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) COACH, COP, CHAPERONE: DUTIES DON'T END AT THE BUZZER A coach's responsibilities don't begin and end on the sidelines. They extend to overseeing the athletes in their charge on campus and while traveling to and from games, with serious consequences when things go wrong on their watch. In December of last year Hanna High School's head football coach Tony Padilla was reassigned to a junior high school classroom after the district and city police investigated an incident involving athletes and illegal drugs. Brownsville Independent School District officials will not comment on the reassignment, except to say that it is a "personnel matter." Padilla could not be reached for this article. But a series of memos shows that Athletic Director Joe Rodriguez recommended Padilla's suspension because of a "breach of policy," in reference to reports that one of Padilla's football players used cocaine on a school bus ride to San Benito. Though police found that neither Padilla nor his staff committed any crime in relation to the incident, the coach was taken off the team. It's not clear if any students involved were disciplined. There are safeguards in place. Before BISD students go on any school-related field trip, the student's parents or legal guardian must sign a waiver, releasing the district from liability. There's no such waiver for coaches who act as chaperones, counselors and cops on the bus. "Pretty much the coach that is on board is responsible for them," said Valentine Montemayor, head football coach and athletic coordinator at Lopez High School where a "zero-tolerance" policy is in place for alcohol and drug use. "That is a discipline referral," Montemayor explains. "If you violate the rules of our school district, it's handled just like it would be in the classroom. There is no special treatment because they are athletes." Montemayor said that during his nine-year run at Lopez, his athletes have not been accused of possessing alcohol or drugs while on school trips, including games. "To this day, I haven't had a situation with one of my athletes being in possession of drugs," he said. "We talk to them everyday about it (drugs)," he said of his 33-person support staff. "Sometimes you have to be a counselor to them." On game days, Montemayor places one coach on each end of the bus. "We put one in the front, and one in the rear. Occasionally things happen in the rear of the bus." In his 11 years of coaching high school football, Scott Ford has learned at least this: times have changed. "I think there is more alcohol, more drugs, more sexual activity," the Los Fresnos head coach said. "Kids do things now that they wouldn't have done 10-15 years ago." Alcohol, drugs and sexual activity are more common now than when Ford was an athlete, he said. "It's a tough day and age to coach. A lot of temptations out there that were not out there when I played high school and college football." Ford was a coach at a 4-A school in Cleburne, Texas, where athletes were subject to random drug testing by school officials. It was, "One of the first schools, if not the first school to implement drug testing," he said. BISD does not test student athletes for drug use but advocates a "zero-tolerance" policy. Ford explained that he usually rides the bus with his senior athletes, and that two other coaches ride the bus with the underclassman. The bottom line, though, is: "We really do have to trust them, that they are not going to do those things (illegal drugs). Some years ago, while coaching in North Texas, a group of varsity football players went to a junior varsity game under the influences of alcohol, he explained. "They had done it Thursday, I was told about it on Friday, so I investigated Saturday morning," Ford said. "By Monday morning we had everything in place. I touched base with the principal before I even talked with the kids, to let him know what was going on." Ford suspended the students from playing for two games. Athlete's bad behavior can have serious career consequences for their coaches. In 2005, former Donna head football coach Dave Evans, who was also head coach at Hanna from 1995-1996, was fired by the Donna school board after a hazing incident was reported to school officials involving several Donna football players. The students involved faced criminal charges. With more than 275 coaches supervising thousands of student athletes in Brownsville, Rodriguez admits it's hard to keep track of everything that happens on school-sponsored games or trips. He believes athletes should be trusted by their respective coaches and doesn't see a need for additional security measures. BISD Police Chief Oscar Garcia said officers search all students' bags when they are participating in extracurricular actives or BISD sponsored events and field trips. The school district's K-9 unit search athletes' equipment and personal bags before loading it on buses. "I believe there is a sincere effort by all persons involved," Garcia said. " I believe that we do, for the most part, an excellent job (when supervising students) at an extra curricular activity." Typically, at least two coaches ride on the bus with athletes that participate at the junior varsity level, Rodriguez said. Between six and seven coaches' ride with athletes that participate at the varsity level. For games played within the 32-5A district, including BISD, it's up to the schools' discretion to request a bag search from BISD police, "If the school wants to call for a search, they call the search," Rodriguez said. Asked if these searches should be mandatory, in light of the events involving Hanna students, Rodriguez said, "Why should they?" "Our athletes should be accountable to the things that they do," he said. "They should know better." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake