Community Defends Suspended Greeley Football Coach

Supporters of suspended Horace Greeley High School football coach Bill Tribou came out in force at last week’s Chappaqua Board of Education meeting, calling for the reinstatement of the longtime coach.

While district officials refused to confirm Tribou’s suspension, citing privacy law, Tribou said on May 3 he had been suspended. Supporters close to the situation said that tensions between administrators and Tribou had been brewing for a while.

“We take personnel issues seriously,” Superintendent Dr. Lyn McKay said. “We take your concerns and comments very seriously. We believe strongly in athletics.”

Speakers at the meeting described Tribou, who completed his 20th year as head coach last season, as a kind and friendly man who could also offend some people with salty language and get under people’s skin.

Junior Jamie Nottingham, a linebacker and running back who acted as spokesman for the football team, which attended the May 1 meeting, said the squad is now leaderless and called Tribou the architect and foundation of Greeley football.

“Without our leader, it jeopardizes our season and our future,” Nottingham said. “It makes me sick to my stomach. An unprepared football team is catastrophic. The only person who can prepare us is Coach Tribou.”

Nottingham asked the board to reconsider since their actions could jeopardize next season, which the team had been working hard to prepare for.

“You are depriving us of a hallmark experience and our journey from adolescence to adulthood,” Nottingham said.

Other students defended Tribou as well, asking that he be returned to his post as soon as possible.

“He is not only a teacher and coach, but a mentor,” Lindsay Hill said. “He changes the lives of many. He supported me and helped me through tricky times. I don’t think this is right to take this relationship away from Greeley students.”

Resident John Ehrlich said he was motivated to speak by his son, who is serving in the military overseas.

“The Board of Education owes us an explanation and not hiding behind legalese,” Ehrlich said. “The one person I trust is Bill Tribou. Shame on the board and shame on the administration if they let anything happen to him.”

Parents talked about how Tribou preached character building, even if his ways could be considered unconventional or politically incorrect.

“Chappaqua is a place where political correctness is carried to the level of a major religion,” parent Bill Marino said. “He was trying to stand up for character and has been ridden out on a rail. The reality is simple: Chappaqua has a long tradition of crucifying good coaches. Maybe we have the administration buying into it as well. This is silly.”

Sean Higgins, the parent of a child who played for Tribou when he coached girls’ lacrosse, called the situation peculiar and comical.

“It starts to sound and smell like a personal vendetta,” Higgins said, to applause from the audience.

Trustees hesitated to comment on the issue. However, Board Vice President Jeffrey Mester offered some thinly veiled support for the coach.

“My kids signed up for Bill Tribou’s football camp and I’m damn proud of that,” Mester said. Tribou’s camp is run by the New Castle Parks and Recreation Department.

Residents were angered last week when the board refused to give a timetable for Tribou’s suspension or when he could be reinstated. The board then refused to give any information about the situation, citing privacy laws.

“This is as difficult for us as it is for you,” McKay said. “We cannot talk about the process, because we have to be very careful. We have to maintain complete privacy.”

McKay was shouted down during her comments. Board President Alyson Kiesel said at the next board meeting they would consider bringing in the district’s attorney to explain what they are permitted to divulge.

“The process is bound to circumstance,” Board Member Victoria Tipp said. “No one here bargained for this. I don’t like it. I don’t like being able to not tell you. We understand your frustration.”

As recently as 2010, Tribou led the Quakers to the Section 1 championship game, which they lost to Harrison 6-0.