(Published Saturday, May 26, 2007 01:24:26 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Frank Schultz Gazette staff
Janesville Bluebirds Coach John Mauermann once tore a necklace off the neck of a player, but that action did not constitute physical abuse, according to investigators hired by the Janesville School District.
The report, dated March 28, also lists complaints that Mauermann verbally abused players on more than one occasion and violated a WIAA rule.
The district's legal counsel, the Nowlan & Mouat law firm, investigated accusations of misconduct and wrote the report. The report dealt only with complaints by a hockey player's parent.
The investigators found that the district has no written policy prohibiting verbal or physical abuse of players or any definition of verbal or physical abuse by a coach. The investigators created their own definitions:
- Verbal abuse-"excessively loud, berating and/or profane language directed toward a player or a player's conduct."
- Physical abuse-"physical conduct between the coach and a player which causes physical injury to a player or causes a substantial risk of physical injury to a player."
Here's a rundown of the complaints and the investigators' conclusions, all taken from the report:
Physical abuse?
The complaint accuses Mauermann of tearing the necklace off the player's neck and, in a separate incident, of grabbing a player's facemask. The investigation found no evidence of any facemask incident.
Mauermann admitted to the necklace incident, which occurred during a game. The necklace was elastic, and the player was not injured, the report states.
Wearing a necklace at a game violates game rules, and Mauermann was upset with the player for compromising the team's position.
Bad language
"Coach Mauermann admitted that he swears during practices and at games and has used the 'F' word, although he claims to direct his language at actions rather than at players personally. …
"Mauermann acknowledges that he has crossed the line on occasion and been overly harsh on players; however, when he realizes that he has gone too far, he apologizes to the student. Coach Mauermann views his language toward the players as motivating rather than berating. (He) describes himself as a stern man who leads by example, but he admits that he is not perfect."
The report cites three incidents:
- Mauermann was accused of calling a player "fat, lazy and stupid" in front of the whole team, but he said he made a comment under his breath about a player needing to move his "fat ass."
Two assistant coaches corroborated Mauermann's account.
- Mauermann admitted becoming angry when a player shot a puck close to the rink manager during practice, but he denied using language quoted in the complaint, which accuses him of screaming at the player and calling him a "stupid bastard" and an "f------ retard."
Mauermann said he believed the incident was life-threatening at first but later apologized to the player after he realized "that the rink manager had blown the incident out of proportion."
- During a game, Mauermann called a player by his first name, telling him to get on the ice for a power play. However, two players had that same first name. Both players went out, resulting in a penalty.
The complaint accuses Mauermann of calling the second player a "f------ idiot" because he had never before been called for on a power play.
Mauermann said his language was not so strong, and he likely said "dumbass" or "idiot." Again, two assistants corroborated Mauermann's version.
Ethical violations?
The complaint said Mauermann allowed his children and at times his children's friends and an assistant coach's children to practice with the team occasionally. The complaint suggests this violates a board policy that forbids using a position for personal gain.
"There is no evidence to suggest that Coach Mauermann collected anything of value from anyone in exchange for allowing these children to skate with the team," the report states.
The investigators concluded this did not violate board policies.
The no-cut rule
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association forbids cutting of players from co-op teams, and the complaint alleges Mauermann cut players.
The Bluebirds are a co-op team, combining players from Craig and Parker high schools.
The complaint alleges eight instances of Mauermann cutting players or pressuring them to quit and join a club team.
One of the alleged cuts was of the son of the complainant, Michael Scieszinski, in 2005-06.
Mauermann said he did not see the WIAA policy in writing until 2006. That statement is corroborated by a 1999 letter that details a meeting between school district officials and Mauermann.
The meeting was a discussion of "the most direct and compassionate way to inform students whether or not they made the team. It is clear from reading this letter that the school officials intended Coach Mauermann to cut players from the co-op team, at least in 1999."
Evidence indicates Mauermann tried "to accommodate all hockey players in the Janesville area by encouraging less qualified and/or experienced students to play club hockey rather than to continue on the co-op team. Some parents contacted said they had no problem with this approach; others, including the complainant, felt that Coach Mauermann was attempting to undermine the WIAA no-cut policy."
The report concludes that Mauermann cut players in violation of WIAA rules in some instances, but it states he didn't knowingly violate the policy before he received a copy of the policy and had it explained to him in 2006 and that he didn't cut any players after that.
