POLL: What form of discipline should the Sayreville football coaches receive?

The other night I received a phone call from an acquaintance of Coach George Najjar of the Sayreville War Memorial HS Bombers.

We never got into the nitty-gritty over what was alleged to have happened in the locker room – nor whether or not the coach had any knowledge of what was going on.

It was mainly about the coach himself, and about how emotionally broken up he is over this.

I was told about the coach’s character and history back to when he was a coach at Abraham Lincoln HS in Brooklyn. He reminded me of a paddling incident that had taken place in the locker area there, how the coach interceded on behalf of the student who was being paddled – and how he handled the discipline of those who’d been doing the paddling.

I didn’t dispute any of what the caller had to say – outside of saying the real victims are the kids who were allegedly molested – a point the caller completely agreed with.

The caller couldn’t wrap his brain around what could have motivated juniors and seniors to allegedly sodomize other teammates.

While I couldn’t provide an answer then, thanks to another coach with whom I correspond, the phenomenon could be best explained in an article appearing in the Huffington Post as to our society’s addiction to masculinity and how it could lead to acts of sexual hazing among men.

Our conversation continued with the caller agreeing with me that regardless of how he felt about Najjar – he and his staff should have had an inkling of what was going on in that locker room.

And according to this: by telling his players on the day before the Bombers game with South Brunswick was cancelled, Coach Najjar reportedly said:

“‘I don’t trust you guys anymore” and that he would need to supervise the locker room after practices.
this according to two varsity players speaking to NJ Advance Media.

“From now on he was going to be with us, but the next day the game got canceled because a parent called the police station,” one player said. “[Najjar] said, ‘I had full trust in you and I shouldn’t be in there with you. But now if you guys are in there screwing around I have to be in there with you.’ ”

The point was raised that in some districts coaches may or may not be present in the locker area when players are dressing or undressing.

(Some coaches will say they need to be present at all times.)

I was told that in Sayreville, the coach’s office isn’t facing the locker area, where the coach would have a better vantage point to keep an eye out.

Despite all this, I said that no matter what - any coach has to know what all is going on with his players at all times. And the way I figured would be to sit down with his players one on one just to get a feel for what they’re going through.

If, at the very least, that hadn’t been done, and the coach is finding out at the last minute that allegations of abuse are being made – to whom do you point the finger of blame?

Who is ultimately responsible for the welfare of the victims?

So now we shift our attention as to what Sayreville Superintendent Richard Labbe will decide.

Do the coaches receive a letter of reprimand, suspension pending the outcome of an investigation, or outright dismissal?