Some Lessons Emerge - Coaches Let Deering High School Athletes Down

Late Tuesday, news outlets finally reported the much-anticipated resignation letter of Deering High School baseball coach, Mike D’Andrea. Easily one of the most successful teachers to ever coach a high school team in Maine, D’Andrea had been facing enormous criticism for his possible role in an underage drinking party in June.

Three of his assistant coaches, including his son, had been fired the week before based on the determination that all three were knowingly present at a party where alcohol was available to minors. While the senior D’Andrea insisted he had not been present, the coach essentially owned up to the fact that he was aware of the party.

D’Andrea signaled his demise when he told local newspapers that he was not at the party and that he had little knowledge of it. No doubt, the second aspect of his comment drew the attention of supervisors.

Principal Kunin
Deering High School Principal Ken Kunin led the school’s investigation. His first concerns where simple, what did the coaches know, when did they know it and then subsequently, what did they do with that information when they had it?

Kunin was quoted by the Portland Press Herald as follows:

“If they did anything other than call the parents, shut the party down and get the kids home safely and let (the school department) know, then we have a real problem with that.” Kunin’s investigation would reveal that at least three coaches were at the party, those three knew underage drinking was taking place, and most importantly, those three allegedly did little to stop it or inform school officials.

While social networking sites confirmed that the three assistant coaches were in fact present at the party, none appeared to indicate the senior D’Andrea was at the party. And while the three assistant coaches were promptly terminated last week, the school neither took action nor voiced support for the head coach. Instead, clearly articulating that further axes could fall, school officials noted that the investigation was ongoing.

The Resignation
In his letter of resignation, D’Andrea essentially signaled his failure to take what school officials deemed an appropriate action when he became aware of the underage party. He wrote:

“At this time I am announcing my resignation as a Coach of Baseball and Girl’s Basketball at Deering High School effective immediately.

“After the revelation of recent events involving the Deering High School Baseball team, I feel this is the appropriate decision for me at this point in my coaching career.

“First I want to make it clear that I did nothing wrong and this resignation should in no way infer to anyone an admission of improper actions. The scrutiny this event has placed on me during the investigation has only confirmed the growing feelings that I have had over the last several years.

“Coaching two sports at the Varsity Level has taken a tremendous amount of my time and I no longer feel the rewards meet the energy and work required to meet the expectation levels I set for my teams and myself.

“While I have been fortunate enough to experience considerable success as a head coach, it is the memories of the players I have worked with that will forever stay in my mind. Coaches are only as good as the players they coach and I have been blessed to work with some great athletes and more importantly great young people over the years. I only hope that I have had a small percentage of the impact on their lives that they have had on mine.

“This is not the end of my coaching career, I simply need some time to re-evaluate my goals and to recharge my batteries. I am grateful for the opportunities that have been provided to me by Deering High School. I am confident that this is the right decision for me both on a professional and a personal basis. I am just as confident that I will be a better person and coach the next time around.

“Finally, I would like to say thanks to all those who have supported me over the years, it has been much appreciated.”

Principal Accepts Resignation Noting it Was the Right Thing to Do
While D’Andrea’s letter continued to insist he had done nothing wrong, Principal Kunin appeared to offer a different viewpoint.

“We received and accepted Mr. D’Andrea’s resignation as coach of boys baseball and girls basketball,” Kunin stated. “We agree with Mr. D’Andrea that the resignation was the right thing to do and we respect his decision.”

Meanwhile, Portland Police have been conducting a probe which could ultimately result in misdemeanor charges against the adults involved. The results of that investigation certainly will help clarify the particulars when the findings are released.

Successful Coach Still Coaching Deering Athletes
D’Andrea began working as the Deering’s baseball coach in 1997 and his teams went on to win seven state baseball championships in his 11 years as head coach. In addition to his success on the diamond, D’Andrea has been the school’s girls basketball coach since 2001. On the hardwood, his teams had won two basketball state titles.

The party in June was not the first time the coach faced controversy at the school. D’Andrea served a four-game suspension at the start of the 2002 baseball season for an alcohol related incident on the team bus following the team’s third consecutive state title.

In addition, in June of 2007, D’Andrea was suspended by the Maine Principals’ Association for a basketball related incident the previous winter. The coach had to sit out the first two games of last year’s basketball season for violating state athletic rules.

However, D’Andrea and one of his fired assistants, Frank Watson (his home allegedly served as the party site), are still coaching many Deering athletes. The two men are currently managing the Nova Seafood American Legion state baseball championship team.

The talented Nova Seafood team is made up of Deering players, most of whom have been members of the last two state high school championship teams. D’Andrea and Watson will be coaching the recently crowned State champs as they begin competing in the Northeast Regional Tournament today in Bristol, Conn.