3: re?nes-tszquzzun - .- KAMPBELL. . . - I ShawnAnn Flood MAY 1 2 2015 Attorne 0 Counsel y? 1. SCHOOL DISTRICT April 3, 2015 Annie Cole General Counsel Bellevue School District 12111 NE St. Bellevue, WA 98005 Re: Complaint. Dear Ms. Cole: This is my report to you on my investigation into allegations of harassment, intimidation and bullying against student athlete A. Nature of Complaint and Background. is at . enrolled at Bellevue High 801ml. Formerly, he was a student at Academic Institute, a private school in Bellevue. i played football for Bellevue High School the. last three seasons. On January 15, 2015, (emailed district athletic director eff_Lowell with a eggplant that Tracy Ford verbally abused{ and tried to prOV0_l<6_{ wfmto a ?ght. i i also complained that assistant coach Je? Razore harassedl. ?atschool trying to convince not to quit football at Bellevue High. In addition, complained that TC Levvis, on behalf of the head football coach, was calling; . without parent permission asking questions about football and malan uncomfortable. B. Investigation. I interviewed the following individuals regarding this complaint:- . kampbeH-johnson.com 4 ?Tat-inmags?nlzr . Annie Cole Re: Page 2 of 21 to ?ght' i and complainants Butch Goncharoff, head football coach Pat Jones, assistant head coach Jeff Razore, assistant coach Matt Coombs, assistant coach Connor Mawhinney, assistant coach Dan Cerillo, assistant coach TC Lewis, former assistant coach Lauren McDaniels, Bellevue High athletic director Tim Olsen, Bellevue High interim athletic director Jeff Lowell, district athletic director Scott Powers, Bellevue High principal I was unable to interview the following individuals regarding this complaint: Jennifer Vine, director of Academic Institute. She declined to be interviewed despite several requests from me and hem Jeff Lowell, athletic director. Tracy Ford. He did not show for two scheduled interviews. Marc Avery?Airhart, Tracy Ford?s employee. He did not show for a scheduled interview. .. I reviewed the following records regarding this complaint: 2014-15 Bellevue High School football roster emailed complaint, dated 1/14/2015 emailed complaint, dated 2/ 03/2015 Sign?in sheets for annual coaches meeting, 8/18/2014 Coaches Meeting Powor Point Presentation, 8/18/2014 Coach?s Handbook 2014?15 Email r?e: volunteer application. status for coaching staff Volunteer application Letter to Tracy Ford prohibiting access to district property, dated 1/26/2015. District policies and procedures 5-253, 3207, 4200, 4200P. Set forth below is a summary of interviews and records reviewed. and] . complained inthe January 14, 2015 ail that a few weeks ago there was an incident at which Tracyjord verbally abused and postured as though and trying to provoke i into ?ghting him. 'reached out to head football coach Butch Goncharoff immediately following the incident, but received no M. his players Annie Cole Re: l? Page 3 of 21 response. Iinterviewed land follow up telephone calls. on January 31, 2015 andin several lexplained that on Monday, December 8, 2014, following the last playoff game of the season, which Bellevue High went to the weight room to workout. Most of the football players were at the Weight room. Everyone was told to sit. Butch Goncharoff told the players he was not going to be talking to the team and he left to go to his office. The coaches remaining in the room were Connor Mawhinney and Matt Coombsand Dan Cerillo. explained that Connor Mawhinney, assistant coach, askedl to call Tracy Ford to see where he was. Everyone had been waiting about 1'0 minut_es_._l said he did not know why Connor asked him to call Tracy, except was standing closest to Connor. lcalled Tracy, who replied he was at the school and then Tracy and his assistant Marc Airhart came into the weight room. I said Dan Cerillo left right away when Tracy arrived. Tracy spoke to the team about how the players should be ashamed because they just lost a long winning streak. Tracy talked about his past and his tattoos and how he was a hustler and sold drugs. . said the inference was that Tracy is hard because of Tracy swore, using the word and he (?lled the players ?bitches.? Tracy said to the players something like, ?We can go down the street with no one around and I can beat the out of all of you.? soft and a bitch and how did not go.[ was not in Tracy called outl ?t and said I was 1 Tracy had tried to get him to come to Tracy?s and? the weight room because he was in the practicing basketball. Tracy said to brother something need to tell your brother to get his bitch ass indie weight room, he?s lazy.? left the meeting before everyongels?e so he did not see come to the weight 5633. Jeff Lowell was tochthat came to the weight room after his brother texted or called to tell what Tra 1y said about him and ?d-confronted Tracy Ford. said he heard that .r came to the weight room from basketball practice and asked Tracy in ?ont of the tcani, ?Why did you call me a bitch ldid not see{ confronting Tracy. heard Tracy call another MIL lazy and Tracy said; got hurt because he was lazy. Tracy called out and s;21_i_d_ repeatedly that he was a sel?sh player and he was a bitch and a shitty teammate. said_h_e_ asked, ?Explain to me how I?m a bad teammate?? Connor Mawhinney {Emileed? in front of the team about howC_hit a player late during a game. Tracy said he could go on and on with examples about} md then said something like, ?We can go one-on?one. I can beat the out of youp? i replied, ?I?m not scared? andhe stood up. Tracy was about two feet away fromL land Tracy stepped towards!l and got in{ I 1 face until their heads were touching and then other players intervened between them. Other coaches kicked out of the weight room. No one called security. was outside players weresoaradand . property. TC said things to. Annie Cole Re: Page 4 of 21 of the school alone in the rain and then his father arrived and! told him what happened. lwent into the weight room and said he saw about 59:60 kids and several coaches, including Tracy Ford, Marc Airhart and Matt Coombs. tasked Tracy to talk to him, but Tracy said, can?t right now, I?m with my boys.? saw Butch Goncharoff? 3 car outside before he went into the gym, so he went back outside and called Butch, who did not answer. ile? a message and Butch never responded or got back to said after this meeting he stopped going to the weight room to out and apparently there was talk that he would not be coming back to play football at Bellevue High. . stated the date of this meeting was the ?rst da}r freshmen football players worked out with the team and they were terri?ed of Tracy? statements. . After winter break, 3 was at school at Academic Institute. Assistant coach Jeff Razore came to his and met onenon-one with Jennifer Vine, director of the school. Then she asked into her of?ce to talk to Jeff and she left. This was in the' afternoon and. aha?1. was in his T.A. period. The door was closed. I. was angry with Jennifer for leaving alone to talk to Jeff. Jeff talked about how?the team played in its last game. Jeff told. ,things like, ?If you leave Bellevue High football, you?ll never get to come back? and ?None of this will be here if you want to come back.? Jeff showed him UW football coach Jim Peterson?s contact information on his cell phone and said things like, can get you in any school [college.]? Jeff further said something to, to the effect that if he left Bellevue High football he would lose his scholarship at Academic Institute and he would not have the same college football opportunities. said he told Jeff it was up to his parents. After this meeting at Academic Institute, said that assistant coach Connor Mawhinney called 5 and asked what he was Efihg and asked him to come to the weight room and work out. Connor ?ed to him about had been in the wrong at the December meeting and asked if knew why he had been kicked outof the Weight room and he hoped to see at the weight room that day. Connor asked if] 'lwas leaving Bellevue High football and if he was that it was a dumb decision. told Connor he was in the right and the coaches were in the wrong. 3 said Connor did not asky if he was leaving Bellevue High football. - TC Lewis also called I described TC as Butch Goncharoft? 3 muscle and silently working for Butch and he said that TC is not allowed to be on school like, ?You should tell Butch if you are leaving Bellevue football or Butch could pom-My mess with your college scholarship offers? and know you didn?t like what was said by Jeff at th?atEeeting at Academic Institute.? complained that TC Lewis was calling directly without his permission. ?.-- Annie Cole Re: Page 5 of 21 stated that he magpie Wife did not withdraw from Academic Institute. When and, wan-lg not con?rm to Jeff Razore or to Jennifer Vine, director of AcadeinE'InstitutE, that; . would or would not con_ti_ni_ie to play football for Bellevue ennifer Vine did not provide a schedule for/ Jennifer did not speci?cally say scholarship was withdrawn. Iwas matho con?rm the circumstances oil 7 enrollment status at Academic Institute because Jennifer Vine declined to be interviewed. 2.) Butch Goncharoff, Head Coach. Butch explained that enrolled in Bellevue High in his ?eshma_n_)ne_ar. There were some behavior issues with him, but nothing was documented. When was a sophomore, called Butch to ask how he could enroll into Academic Institute. Eutcii said he told ito talk to the athletic diredtoi-fance Gatter about it. _ii:iad behavior issues in his sophomore year with the team. M1 the quarterbEJC, came to Butch after a drill in tears because[_ made some kind ?f?ddmment in the drill about rape and was his sister was a rape victim. Butch said he did not recall the exact words used, but he had thrown out the wordrape or somethingwlikeyqim-goi?ngjp rape this?fduringthe Butch, talked to. . about it andt Japologized and ,i never used this word in any team setting since that incident. The incident was resolved without formal discipline. Ini ?unior year, 2014?15,( had several personal fouls against opponents and referees warned the coaching staff about him. After one such game when he was benched after a personal foul, left the ?eld after the game on his own mm joining his team in the locker room. The next day, Butch met owl-one with to tell him that was not acceptable. After the second game when i; had personal fouls in a game, Butch and assistant coach Matt Coombs met wi to tell him he would play in the next game but not start. I was upset. eases Butch to ask aboutwliat the coaches were doing tor??} and Butch explaiEEdEe was seeing a pattern off ibeing angry and fouling in games. After this, started doing better at games. TEeh their; was an incident'with when the team was watching ?lm in the conference room. i punched another player in the face. Hm .?was suspended for one or two games. Butch noti?ed the principal of Bellevue High and the director of Academic Institute, mm school. Butch noti?ed? and he told ,that ad anger issues and this was seri9_u_s._ After the suspension, Butch met with various pe_op_1_e to decide whether to let' [1 re?j oin the team and he ended up deciding to allowi i to re-j oin the team. started playing again and things were ?ne for the remainder of the season. Butch stated that he had planned to address his team about the season and the playoff loss at the team banquet scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, 2014. On Monday afternoon, December 8th, he watched ?lm with Pat Jones. Then Butch met with UW Coach Chris Petersen upstairs from the weight room in the teacher?s lounge at about 5:00 - 1- .- 415:3; . . 1 Far: . .. - Annie Cole Re: Page 6 of 21 or 5:30 pm. for about 30 minutes. He walked downstairs with Chris Petersen after their meeting and looked in the weight room and saw players and coaches in there. It looked like Tracy Ford was directing a meeting and Matt Coombs and Connor Mawhinney were also there. Butch said to the group something like, ?Are you guys working out? What are you doing here? Go home.? Someonesaid they Were having a meeting about having to work in the weight room and the team needed to do better. Butch walked Chris Petersen outside to say goodbye and came back in the building and talked to Pat Jones to ask what was going on because he was not aware players Were scheduled to work out that day. That same groping. ?called Butch and left a'message that Tracy Ford had verb ally attacked; and tried to provoke a ?ght. Butch did not return the call and decided to look inE?what happened. Butch did not tell the Bellevue High interim athletic director about complaint. Butch attended the banquet and told the team it was time to move on. He did not addreSsl complaint at that time. At some point ?er the banquet, he met with Tracy Ford and asked what happened. Tracy said he told the meeting that he was a great player and a bad teammate. l?cursed and wanted to ?ght Tracy, le? the room and called his father. Tracy said? was out of line and Butch told Tracy he would not keep Tracy on as strength and conditioning coach because Tracy held a team meeting without telling Butch about it and because he had embarrassed a'player in front of the team. Butch said he also talked to assistant coach Matt Coombs about the team meeting at some point. Matt told Butch he had gone to use the weight room and did not know in advance there was to be a team meeting and it was the most uncomfortable meeting he had been in. Butch said Matt described the meeting as people assessing blame and Butch assumed that was what Matt meant when he said it was uncomfortable and he did not ask Matt further questions about it. Butch Eve; talked'tc Jabout what happened in the meeting and he never called to discuss it. After the another player,a reported he ha received a text message from? . iabout what had happened at the team meeting. Butch said the text message from! Itold! ?something like, ?You don?t mean shit to this program. . .learn your flaming place ?sophomore. . .I?m not getting kicked off the team. I didn?t do anything wrong.? Butch showed the text message to the principal, Scott Powers, at Bellevue High, but he did not talk to abdut the text message. . When I followed up with labout this text message, he acknowledged he sent the text message and he explained it was in response tol text message to him which said that . was a stupid idiot, the coaches were right about what they said about . Jneeded to keep his composure and llwas going to get kicked off the team. tried to retrieve the messages, but he changed cell phones in the interim period and was unable to provide it to me. upset that Butch only told me about Lg - nun-Era Assim? Re: Page 7 of 21 the text message ?oml and not the text message from to that started the conversation. Butch said that after winter breakLplayers were talking about how lwas going to transfer to a school in Florida. had 13?_t_ret11rnedto working out in the weight room. Butch acknowledged he did not call ?l to ask about what he was doing. Assistant coach eff Razore told Butch he went to talk to I jat Academic Institute and it went well. Lewis called Butch a few da 3 before our interview and told Butch he had talked to?, 1nd and that[ was mad at Tracy Ford for confronting? and TC asked Butch to talk to Tracy to make the problem go away. Butch told TC no and he could not get into what they talked about. Butch said he had not reached out to TC to tell him to contact the i 3.) Pat Jones, Assistant Head Coach. Pat is the assistant head coach and he said he has been in the position since about 2000?01. On the date of the team meeting in the weight room discussed above, Pat said he was in theiocker room collecting gear.~ He watched film with Butch and thentheyw- walked to or by the weight room. They saw a lot of players in the room and Tracy Ford, Matt Coombs andhhe did not recall who else. The people in the weight room were talking. Pat said was not there and Tracy was upset. Pat was not able to explain why he knew[ was not in the room since he was unable to tell me which other players were in the room and/or all of the names of the adults. Butch tried to ?gure out what was going on because he did not call a meeting. Pat did not recall what Butch learned about what was going on or who said what. Pat only said he got a sense that people in the room were sad. Then Pat said that obviously something had happenedwith Tracy and Tracy was all ?red up. Pat did not know when or how he learned it, but; was upset about the meeting. Pat said after the meeting, Butch talked to him and filled him in t_h_atl_1e had let Tracy Ford go as weight room 003g}; Pat said as far as he is concerned, had three strikes against him now because used the ?11? word in the meeting and because of an incident of texting another player. Pat said he and Butch had issues with Tracy and Tracy was bein let go and they were going concerned is not allowed on the football team. Pagdegcribed other incidents he had no personal? knowledgepi such as the different schools )tried to get into. Pat also heard a rumor that the family was ?playing the race card? in this current complaint and that was not okay. Pat stated that Tracy was in the wrong in the meeting because he said things a coach should not say to a student when he was challenged by a student, but then Fat said he was told - threatened Tracy and said he was going to kick Tracy?s ass. Pat went on to say the? J'had poor interactions with assistant coaches. Pat also said 25?d3u aL-Maa-_? - -1 Annie Cole Re: Page 8 of 21 the!l iare lying about everything and that there was no such thing as a scholarship for ?at Academic Institute and the, are lying about scholarship being pulled because of something said bng?'Razore or due to eff in?uence. 4.) Jeff Razore, Assistant Coach. Jeff Razore is on the football roster as an assistant coach. He said since has been a student at Academic Institute Jeff has visited him there to talk about his grades and performance in school and to make sure he needed to be accountable;J_e_f_f did not meet with other Bellevue High football athletes thertlg? said he knew\ was a student at Academic Institute because at some point: told him aboutt?TJ eff was not at the meeting in the weight room following the planyfl?oss, but he knew there was a problem at the meeting, so he went to Academic Institute in January to check on} and ask how he was doing.? He did not think ,?kuew ahead of time that Jeff was? coming. Je? met with icine-on?one in dEcTtor Jennifer Vine?s of?ce. ?n Jeff said when he met with he asked how was doing and said ?ne and that he was transferring to "ii?scho 01 in Florida and they were giving him a scholarship. Jeff asked why he was heaving Bellevue High football andL_ said he hated the coaching staff. Jeff asked where he was going to college and ?hf. said he wanted to go to UW. e? said he did not know if UW was a good ?t for him and schools like Montana State or Boise State were great for him. ltold Jeff the coaching staff lost the game for the players and Jeff told him part of it had to be on the players too and he asked i? lhad been healthy for the game and taped his ankles. agreed he did not tape his ankles and they discussed other players who were not A ready for the game. said they ended the meeting with a hug and he told( whatever he chose to do he should know everything ab out the school he goes to. 5.) Matt Coombs, Assistant Coach. Matt Coombs is on the roster as an assistant coach. He went to the weight room on the ?rst Monday after the team lost its last game. He said it was typical for football athletes to go the weight room for workouts after the season is OVer. Tracy Ford was going to run the off-season program. Matt said he was unaware there was to be a meeting and when he arrived he saw Tracy Ford, Marc Airhart, Connor Mawhinney were there and Pat Jones was handling equipment return. Matt did not know where Butch was. Tracy talked and was all ?red up, with raised voice, yelling, swearing, calling players ?bitches? and he called out speci?c players because he felt the attitude of some players was for their own personal success and not success of the team and some players were not working hard enough. Tracy called out. and said he was not practicing hard enough. Tracy called outl a'speci?cally and asked, ?What did I do?? did not appreciate being called out in front of the team." Tracy told( he did not take care understood'w'hy? I --.- .. Annie Cole Re: ?d?i A Page 9 of 21 of his teammates and then Tracy also called anotl?player and told him he was not practicing enough. Matt said in response to this, got into Tracy?s face and said ?bullshit? and ?I?m not scared of you.? Matt was?s'itt?ing in the back of the room and he started to come forward but players and coaches intervened. was mad and players told him to get out. Tracy?s assistant Marc Airhart told the ?f out? and :?You don?t know what the you are talking abou Matt did not tell him to leave. iwas upset and mad. Matt said, should have intervened.? came into the room shortly afterward and asked to talk to Tracy, who said he ?rst had to ?nish talking to the players and then' left. was upset. Matt did not intervene at all with Tracy or his comments to the team and Matt did not go out to talk to and/ or i to try to de-escalate things. Matt said Tracy?s message was correct but not cOmmunicated properly. After I le?, everyone went around the room to talk about their experiences and what couldhave been done differently. Matt and Connor Mawhinn'ey talked, as well as Pat Jones. Matt saw Butch come in to the meeting and ask what was going on and then ask if everyone was good. People responded yes. Mattsaid he talkedto- Butch after the meeting at some point end-they were discussingt_ . plans. Matt had heard that was not going to return to Bellevue High football because of what happened in the meeting in the weight room. Matt also knew that eff Razore was going to Academic Institute to talk to land ?nd out what was going on since it had not been at workouts. 6.) Connor Mawhinnev, Assistant Coach. Connor is an assistant coach. He said his IaSt contact with and" was at the meeting with the players in December a?er the lastg?ame. He did not see Butch at the meeting. Connor said the meeting was called to express expectations for the players and why it?s important to be consistent and treat each?gther with respect. Departing senior players led it off and talked. Then Tracy toldl 1 he was a great player and a lousy teammate, asked how he was a lousy taammate. Connor said, butted in and told him that he punched ?ammatc in the face during a meeting and he needed to treat players with respect?;, got angry and stood up and got in Tracy?s face and said something like, ?I?ll beat your f--?ing ass right here.? Players took out. Then . came to the weight room and w_a_s_lp_}_1d and aggressive. Connor?said he . reacted that way because? (tells lies and? . probably got a different story about what happened. Connor recalled that was not the only student called out by Tracy, but the other players who got called but did not react the same way a . Connor said he agreed that Tracy was swearing but it is football and he did not recall what was said. Connor said he did noLspg_ anything inappropriate in what Tracy had to say or the setting, but he was afraid! __!_4was going to attack Tracy. Connor said he had no contact with Jafter that meeting. Annie Cole Re: Pag?-" \0 ?in 7.) Dan Cerillo, Assistant Coach. Dan is a volunteer assistant coach. He was told by someone either through a group text or on acebook that there was a mandatory meeting called at the last minute to be held at the- weight room following the last playoff game of the season. When Dan arrived most of the players were present and several coaches. Everyonewas sitting and not working out. Butch walked in and asked the group, ?What are you doing here?? Dan- asked Butch if he had called the meeting and Butch said no, so Dan got up and leit. Butch left and went to his of?ce. As Dan drove away, Tracy Ford pulled up at the school in his car. Back at work awhile later, Dan started getting text messages ?om players. One of the players who called him said to Dan that Tracy Ford just went off on everyone and this was ?bulls?t? and he was quitting Mam. Dan said players texted him a?er the meeting that the meeting ended up with . got face to face with Tracy Ford and then Tracy told 0 get out of the megting?and that.u__rI also _g9_tint_o Tracy?s . face about something Tracy said Dan said he later talk?_c_l_t_9_ about it andl ,complained that Tracy calledhim out in the meeting andl FsaE?What kind" of man talks to kids that way?? Dan. called Matt Coombs, who had?b?eEn at the meeting. Dan said Matt told him he was speechless about what happened at the meeting. Dan said Matt described Tracy arriving and initiating the meeting and making inappropriate comments to the players. 8.) TC Ewis, Former Assistant Coach. TC is not currently a coach or volunteer for BelleVue High football. He used to be an assistant coach until he had a run?in with the athletic director Lance Gatter. TC said he is still disgruntled about not being a coach for the team, but he has moved on TC did not attend the December meeting with the team. TC attended the football banquet the next evening and sat with _j 2' parents. TC heard from players at the banquet how the team meeting and that got into it with Tracy Ford at the meeting. TC heard from players and from Matt mes that Tracy was telling the players about how Tracy uSed to be involved with drugs. and gangs and Tracy said something to the players like, ?If you want to go down the street I?ll ?ght all of you? and Tracy told the players they did not work hard enough. was concerned because a lot of freshmen players were at the meeting and these comments would have been intimidating. After that meeting, TC heard from another player} a and his father thath_ was not in class. TC called on his cell phone to remind him about his . scholarship o?er at Montana State andi?k about college football and to tell him to stay insghool. TC saidi . send TC atext message asking why TC was talking to without talking to l?rst. TC called: said he was not mad at TUBE: he thought TC should not be contactinghig son without talking to ?rst. TC explained to! he was only calling 0 remind him to stay in school and that missing school could hurtihis recruiting chances. TC said everything was worked out between him and Annie Cole Re: Page 11 of 21 After I interviewed TC Lewis, I followed up with; to confmn whether statement to me that{ did not have a problemwith TC was correct. confirmed that he had tallce to TC and told TC it was not appropriate for TC to call or - text his son without: permission and since the date of that conversation, TC has not contacted his son. 9.) Tracy Ford Former-Strength and Conditioning Coach. and his Employee/Assistant Marc Airhart. Jeff Lowell arranged for me to interview Tracy Ford twice and he did not show up for either interview and he did not provide an explanation or try to re-schedule. Marc Airhart, his assistant, also agreed to be interviewed but he did not show up for his scheduled interview. Both Tracy and Marc were present at the December meeting in the weight room, according to other witnesses I interviewed. Jeff Lowell interviewed Tracy regarding his actions in the December meeting and on January 26, 2015, Jeff issued a letter prohibiting Tracy from access to any district property for one year for disregard of district policy and procedure. Tracy?s conduct at the December?nieeting wagmeenwasenanr the?reasons'for this'letterf Jeff stated in the letter that at the meeting, Tracy used language considered to be harassing, intimidating and threatening when addressing the players. Jeff Lowell noted that in his January 26, 2015 interview with Tracy Ford regarding the December 2014 team meeting in the weight room at the school, Tracy stated the following: a He attended a player meeting at the school as a visitor without registering . at the school?s main o?ce as a visitor. He called the meeting as an ?alumni? of the football team. a He told tin the meeting that he was a bad teammate. 0 When aws?k?ed how he was a bad teammate, another coach told him it was beings?e he had punched someone in the face earlier in the season. a I ~should not have challenged an adult (Tracy) like that in front of others and adults told M, to leave the room. 0 While said to Tracy ?I?ll beat your ass.? 0 Tracy denied cursing athletes, but he could have stated things better. 6 His tone liker sounded aggressive. Jeff noted that in meetings with Tracy Ford August 19, 2014, October 22, 2014 and December 2, 2014, he made Tracy aware of the need for all visitors to Bellevue School District to adhere to board policy to implement district programs in a safe and equitable manner and the welfare of students. In those meetings, Jeff established with Tracy that Tracy was not acting in a volunteer capacity or in a district paid coach capacity for the football Jeff explained that Tracy Ford told him he was being paid by - :3 I . it?: Annie Cole Re: i I Page 12 of21 the football booster club to do strength and conditioning for athletes in the off season, therefore, I eff advised Tracy he was unable to act as a volunteer at the same time because it posed potential WIAA rule _violation problems. Jeff Lowell provided me with a roster of the football team for 2014-15 and Tracy Ford is not listed as a coach. Tracy completed a volunteer application for the season, but'the athletic director did not include him as a volunteer coach for the season after consulting with the head coaching sta? about their list of approved coaches. However, Butch and other assistant coaches described Tracy . Ford as the strength and conditioning coach who worked with players in the off season on carhpus in the weight room. Butch told me Tracy had completed volunteer paperwork, with the inference that Tracy was acting as a volunteer. 10. Lauren aniel, Bellevue High Athletic Director; Tim Olsen. Bellevue High Interim Athletic Director; Jeff Lowell, District Athletic Director; Scott Powers. Bellevue High Principal. Lauren McDaniel was out on maternity leave from October 31, 2014 until February 2, 2015. After she returned ?om maternity leave, Butch Goncharoff met with her to explain that he had never responded to and asked her if he should call him. She told him no. The district had MWVestigation into the matter by that date. When Lauren returned ?om leave, she met with interim athletic director Tim Olsen and he ?lled her in on various issues that occurred in her absence and a complaint by a parent of a football athlete regarding a coach or adult at a player/team meeting in football was not something he told her about. Tim Olsen, interim athletic director in Lauren?s absence, stated that Butch Goncharoff did not notify him of a parent complaint by( I regarding a coach or adult at a team meeting. Scott Powers did not recall Butch Goncharoff telling him that Butch had decided to let Tracy Ford go as the strength coach. Scott would not have expected Butch to tell him that information because Tracy was not a volunteer coach and was not a district-paid coach. Scott did not receive a report from Butch that there was a parent complaint by ?regarding Tracy Ford at a team meeting. Jeff Lowell ?rst heard about complaint about what happened at the December team meeting from . then met with Butch Goncharoff to ask What had happened. This meeting with Butch was the ?rst time Butch shared information about the incident with Jeff .. Annie Cole. Re: Page 13 0f21 C. Conclusions. 1.) Tracy Ford. District policy 3207 prohibits harassment, intimidation and bullying of students. Paraphrased in relevant part, it de?nes harassment, intimidation and bullying as any Verbal Or physical act when that act physically harms a student; has the effect of substantially interfering a student?s education; is so seVere, persistent or pervasive that it creates an intimidating or threatening educational environment; or has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school. Harassment, intimidation and bullying behaviors and expressions can include slurs, demeaning comments, gestures, physical attacks, threats, etc. - District policy 4200 and procedure 4200P regulate the conditions for visitors to schools. Visits are to have a purpose related to educational program or personal welfare of a student. Visitors must register at the of?ce on their arrival at school. Visitors may not enter the school for purposes of conducting activities prohibited by board policy. Volunteers?for?athletics forthe district must?eomplete an app?cati?n?nd by signing the application, they agree to rules and requirements which include following district and school policies and procedures. The Bellevue School District 2014?15 Coach?s Handbook states in section 1.2. Cautions for All Coaches, subsection 4, that coaches must be aware of what they say and check their conduct carefully to ensure they are not the cause of verbal or physical abuse and to refrain from negative, suggestive or profane idiom and do not discuss players with other players. The Handbook states that every coach is expected to be a role model of sportsmanship and conduct and (in all caps): understand that profanity and obscene language have no place in high school athletics. The Handbook further states that volunteer coaches are under the direct supervision of the head coach who is responsible for their directions. The Handbook states that the head coach has responsibility and leadership for overall supervision of the pro gram at all levels and is responsible for the health and welfare and safety of athletes to the extent able to do so within his area of responsibility and control and in?uence. The Handbook also states that the head coach must respond timely to parent complaints, consulting with athletic director as needed. I ?nd that Tracy Ford?s status at Bellevue High School when he attended the meeting in the weight room on Monday, December 8, 2014 is unclear. He was either a visitor or volunteer coach for off-season strength and conditioning paid by the football booster club. He did not register at the main of?ce as a visitor. The District volunteer coach application process states that volunteer athletic coaching needs are determined by the needs of the school administration. He was not listed as a paid or volunteer coach on the 2014-15 team roster, which is the list the school?s athletic director received from the coaching sta?i He was told by the Jeff Lowell, the district athletic director, in fall 2014 321:3; A. 2'1 3.2.3.- ?3 .aLmL?a?rm .1 ?Jung?sbh?z I Annie Cole Re: Page 14 of 21 that he was not acting in a volunteer capacity. The head coach and assistant coaches described him, hOWever, as the off-season strength and conditioning coach and the players were in the weight room on December 8, 2014 to start off-season work. In any case, whether his status was as a visitor or volunteer coach, he was required to adhere to district policies and procedures, which include the district policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying. Ifhe was acting as a volunteer coach, he may also be bound by the provisions in the Coach?s Handbook prohibiting verbal abuse, profanity and obscene language. I concludel lcomplaint that Tracy Ford harassed him at the team meeting in December 2014 in the weight room at Bellevue High is substantiated. I ?nd that Tracy yelled and swore at the players and called them ?bitches? and by his own admission, his tone was aggressive. Assistant coach Matt Coombs said Tracy?s tone was aggressive and Tracy was swearing. I ?nd statement that Tracy talked about his hustling and drug-using past to heWough and hard, while the players were soft, is likely true. He called out and told him in??ont of the team and coaches that he was a bad teammate. Tracy 15% meeting was standing, while I and most of the players were sittin on the ?oor. When Tracy Connor Mawhinney told eVeryone the examples of why; was a bad teaminate, lchallenged Tracy and asked him to explain why he was?ahad teammate. Tracy told ?We can go one?on?one and I can beat the out ~of you.? ;said Tracy?s ch enge to ?ght was directed at; he told Tracy he Wm scared and he stood up and Tracy stepped towards . end stood head to head with . Connor Mawhinney Matt Coombs said that stood and got face to mom Tracy. According to Tracy also made a general threat to all the players that he could ?beat the out oT?all7)f you.? I ?nd that description of what was said and what occurred during the meeting is credible. Regardless of whether Tracy or ed ?rst towards each other, they ended up head to head in an aggressive posture likely to lead to ?ghting, with the immediate result of players and/or coaches having to intervene and pull them apart. The consequence for was that he was told to leave the room and he ended up alone outside the school in the rain. Iimmediately reported to his father what had happened, which lead' Ito go to the weight room to try to talk to Tracy Ford, who told him to wait. Due to the heated exchange between! and Tracy, the confrontation between and Tracy could likely have resulted in more escalation and aggression, except thatl ,chose to walk away and leave the school. Tracy did not make himself available for an interview with me, which lends credibility to( statements about in the meeting. I conclude Tracy?s actions were severe and twining to and his actions disrupted a team meeting. Tracy?s actions resulted in' being excluded from the meeting. Tracy?s actions were a major reason for n? to stop attending conditioning workouts. I conclude Tracy Ford violated district policy and procedure prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying. Annie Cole Re: Page 15 of 21 2.) Butch Goncharcff. It is unclear whether Tracy Ford led the December team meeting or attended the meeting at or under the direction of the head coach, Butch Goncharoff. I was unable to interview Tracy, but he stated to Jeff Lowell that alumni calledthe meeting. Tracy is an alumni. Everyone interviewed stated Tracy led the meeting. ,said the meeting did not start until Tracy arrived. Butch stated he did not call the meeting and he did not know about the meeting beforehand. Accounts differ, however, as to whether Butch was aware of the meeting and allowed it to proceed. aid Butch told the team at the start of the meeting that he was not going to be a essing the team and he left to go to the of?ce. Assistant coach Dan Cerillo said that Butch came to the weight room at the start of the meeting to ask what was going on and when Dan asked Butch if he was leading the meeting and Butch said no, Dan left the school. Pat Jones was unclear about when exactly he and Butch went to the weight room, except that Tracy was all ?redup andfl was not in the room. Matt Coombs did not know where Butch was during the meeting and he said Butch only came at the end when it was over. Butch denied that he was aware of the meeting ahead of time and only saw the team meeting when it was ending and he told people to leave. There is no evidence that Butch Goncharo? was - present when racy madehisharassingstatementsto thereisinsuf?cient - -- evidence to conclude Tracy led the meeting at or under direction of Butch Goncharoff. District procedure 320713 regarding Prohibition of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying states, ?Any school staff to whom harassment, intimidation or bullying have been reported must take prompt and appropriate action to stop the harassment and to prevent its reoccurrence.? Athletic coaches are included in the de?nition of school staff. The procedure also states that reports of minor incidents may be resolved immediately, but unresolved or severe incidents must be reported to the principal and an investigatiOn will follow. The 2014?15 Coaches Handbook states in the section regarding Responsibilities for Head Coaches, subsection 13, that head coaches must respond timely to parent complaints and consult with athletic director or school administrator for assistance as needed. - I ?nd Butch Goncharoff received . comlegt a_bout Tracy Ford on the same date as the team meeting. Butch never responded to or talked to about the incident, therefore, an immediate resolution omatter by the head coach was not possible. Butch acknowledged he did not report the complaint to the school?s interim athletic director, Tim Olsen. District athletic director, Jeff Lowell, con?rmed Butch did not report the incident to him. Scott Powers, principal at Bellevue High, did not receive a .J 5--..41 :z 23Annie Cole Re: Page 16 of2l report ?oni Butch about the incident or a report that there was a parent complaint by labout a verbal or physical altercation at a player meeting. Butch did some limited investigation on his own into t?lg incident by talking to Tracy Ford and Matt Coombs, but he did not talk tel pr i' After talking to Tracy, Butch was aware that according to Tracy there had been cursing andl had wanted to ?ght. Butch did not talk to, fto hear his side of the what happe? Butch took action by telling Tracy Ford he was no longer a strength and conditioning coach - with the team. Butch said he advised Scott Powers, principal, about letting Tracy Ford go, but Scott did not recall this conversation. I conclude Butch did not comply with the Coaches Handbook requiring the head coach to timely respond to a parent complaint and/or obtain assistance from the athletic director or administrator. Butch?s failure to communicate with] mmipd?at?ButCh apPIOVed of Tracy Ford?s actions in the tem?eemg and contributed to 1anger at the coaching staff and his lack of attendance at off-season conditioning workouts in the weightroom. I conclude Butch violated district procedure 5352P requiring-school staff, including athletic coaches, to whom harassment, intimidation or bullying have been reported to report unresolved and severe incidents to the principal. Butch did not resolve complaint. Butch told Tracy he was no longer the off?season strength coach, at he never talked to or? ,I'to investigate the facts or determine their needs or concerns intrying to resolve their complaint, nor did he communicate what steps he had taken regarding Tracy Ford to the' I ?nd Butch did not report the parent complaint to the interim athletic director, the district athletic director, or the building principal. 3.) Matt Coombs and Connor Mawhinnev; December Team Meeting. Matt Coombs and Connor Mawhinney are paid assistant coaches for the last four and ?ve years, respectively. They both attended the August 18, 2014 Coaches Meeting. Connor stated he is not familiar with the Coach?s Handbook and has not read it. The August 18, 2014 Coaches Meeting presentation covered the district?s policy prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying and provided a link to the policy on the district?s website. Procedure 3207P states that any school staff who observes, overhears, or otherwise witnesses harassment, intimidation or bullying must take prompt and appropriate action to stop the harassment and prevent its reoccurrence. Staff includes athletic coaches. Section of the procedure states: ?All staff members will intervene when witnessing or receiving reports of harassment, intimidation or bullying.? The Coach?s Handbook states on page 2 in the Cautions for All Coaches section that coaches are to ensure they are not the cause of verbal or physical abuse and to refrain 7 Mutildio leave memoirs? tried to dc-escalatc the situation with' Annie Cole Re: 7 777 Page 17 onl ficm negative idioms and coaches are not to discuss players with other players. Page 3 of the Handbook states that every coach is to be a good role model and profanity and obscene language have no place in high school athletics. On August 1, 2014, left Lowell notified all coaches that district email accounts were being provided for them and support was available to help access their email and district portals. He placed a computer in the coaches rooms at schools; including Bellevue High, for coaches to use to access email, Coaches were advised of the new handbook at the coaches meeting on August 18, 2014 and Jefl Lowell distributed the handbook electronically via email to all paid coaches on August 20, 2014. The power point presentaan at the coaches meeting also covered negligence and coaches were warned about risks offailur'e to supervise and protect students from harm, The Coach's Handbook also states that only players and coaches are to be using weight rooms when the team has the facilities scheduled for team use and individuals not emailed inthe school may not work outwith a team or observe or be present unless the event is open to the public at large. I find that neither coach intervened or took any action during the December meeting when Tracy was filling, swearing and calling out players, including- Neither intervened whenl land Tracy got head to head in a fighting posture or when 'or his fat--En when tried to talk to Tracy Ford about what happened. Matt Coornbs stated he smeted forward from the back of the room when #and Tracy were head to head and it looked like they were going to fight, but someone se intervened first and pulled them apart Matt said the meeting was uncomfortable and the manner of Tracy's delivery was wrong and maybe he should have intervened. Matt was aware that was volatile. Matt stated he was surprised that Butch was not present atthe . Edng because Matt had never attended a team meeting when Butch was not present. (Donner Mawhinoey stated that he did not see anything inappropriate in what Tracy said in the team meeting. There was swearing but he efled it as football and said he did not recall exactly What was said. Connor blamedl for being aggressive and admitted that when asked how he was a bad teammate, Connor said he bolted in and said, "You a te_ammate in the face during a meeting You need to treat players wiirfspect." Then got angry and got in Tracy's face. Connor said it was time for) [to leave because Connor was afraid! was going to attack Tracy. Connor WE aware of. history of behavior issues on the team. I find that Matt Coombs and Connor Mawhinney failed to intervene when Marc Airhart, Tracy's assistant in his business, Ford orts Performance, was present atthe meeting and Marc contributed to harassing by telling; "Get the out" and "You don't know what the you are talking ahou is not a coach and under provisions in the Coach's Handbook, he should not have been allowed to observe or be present at the team meeting, much less address a student player or direct a player to get out of the room, Neither Matt nor Connor took any action to with Marc Airhart's actions in the meeting. 3.1.sz -.J ?nng. .. .- Annie Cole eff?? Re: A Page 18 of 21 I Mat Connor Mawhinney engaged in pa? the harassing conduct when he reminded and the rest of the team about how had punched a teammate during the season?.7 Butch Goncharoff, the head coach, had dealt with that incident and served the consequence of a suspension. Butch reported that 4; behavior @116 for the remainder of the season a?er that suspension. Connor?yssfatement about in front of the team, along with Tracy?s remarks, led to abeconn'ng upset?a?n?d angry and confronting Tracy Ford in a head to head Goncharoff told Tracy Ford it was inappropriate for Tracy to have embarrassed! . [in front of the team and I ?nd that Connor Mawhinney contributed to! embarrassment and escalation of the interaction between Tracy and! I conclude that Matt Coombs and Connor Mawhinney violated district procedure 320 which requires school staff to intervene when witnessing harassment, intimidation or bullying. I conclude Matt Coombs and Connor Mawhinney did not comply with rules set forth in' the Coaches Handbook regarding their responsibility to-be good role models, ensure players are treated with respect, refrain from obscenities and profane language and refrain from negative comments and verbal abuse and discussing players with other players. Their passivity towards Tracy Ford and Marc Airhart, as well as Connor?s participation in making negative comments aboutl in a team meeting following a signi?cant playoff loss contributed to ?feeling?hfr?assed and intimidated by the coaching staff and his lack of a?endanEn?m conditioning workouts in the o?-season. 4.) Jeff Razore and Connor Mawhinney; Contacts withl December Team Meeting. i stated in his complaint that after he reported to Butch Goncharoff racy attacked and postured like he was going to ?ght and after (then expressed to some people that he might not play football for Bellevue High, Jeff Razore cornered at his school and harassed him. The Coach?s Handbook states in section 2, Cautions for AllCoaches, subsection 1, ?Do not put yourself in a compromising situation.? No one?on?one' contact between an adult and athlete is appropriate. Always meet in a totally public place.? Subsection 2 states, ?Do not rely on your good reputation or put yourself in a position where it?s your word against another individual?s.? Subsection 4 states? do not discuss players with other players.? The Coaches Meeting presentation explained policy 5253 regarding maintaining professional staff/ student boundaries. Procedure 525 3P states that being alone with a student out of the View of others creates an appearance of impropriety and should be avoided. Jeff Razore is a volunteer assistant coach. He did not attend the coaches meeting on August 18, 2014 and he does not recall if he ever completed a volunteer application with the district. The volunteer coordinator stated there is no volunteer application on . ?le for him. He said he has been to coaches trainings in the past, but he did not recall {:33 2.2-: I. .- .. Annie Cole Re: Page 19 of 21 when. He has never. read a coaches handbook for the school and he does not know any of the policies and procedures for contacts with students. He said he has been a volunteer coach for several years. Butch Goncharo? was aware that Jeff Razore had been meeting with{ at Academic Institute for years as well as in January 2015 and he did not have any problems with the meetings. I ?nd that Jeff Razore met one-on-one with at Academic Institute in January 2015. Since their meeting was behind closed doors, no one can corroborate what was said by e? to Jennifer Vine, director of Academic Institute, declined to be imiviewed despite several requests. She met with e? Razore just prior to Jeff talking to but I wwable to determine what they discussed. The immediate result of off? 8 meeting with however, was . complaint to the district?s athletic director about the December team Ming an- eff? 3 meeting with .j complained that Jeff Razore toldL ,if he did not continue to play?fanball at Bellevne High he would not be able to. continue to attend Academic Institute. -I was unable to interview Jennifer Vine re garing the ?nancial arrangements for 4, . tuition and fees at Academic Institute. fno longer is enrolled at Academic Institute as of the date of this report, but I was unable to determine if his scholarship for tuition and fees was withdraWn or ifhe?withdre'w non'the school and if somnder'Wh?at circumstances. ?nd there is insuf?cient evidence to make a ?nding about whether Jeff threatened] . that if he did not play for Bellevue High football that he would not be able Wand Academic Institute, but his one-one?one meeting behind closed doors with las well as Academic Institute? 3 lack of cooperation create the appearance of impro?e?. I ?nd that Jeff Razore?s failure to complete application paperwork to be a volunteer for the district, to make himself familiar with district policies and procedures or the rules applicable to coaches in the coaches handbook despite'having attended training for coaches at some point in his coaching career for the district violates generally recognized professional standards of conduct applicable to coaching staff. I ?nd that? istatement about Connor Mawhinney contacting him by phone after the December team meeting in the weight room to talk to him about his actions in that meeting and to talk about teaniinateE? leavin the football team is more than likely true. Connor denied heha any con act with after the December meeting, but he admitted he had{ . cell phone number. 'PC?dpungr said rob ably lied to his father about what Happened in the meeting, but? statements about what occurred at the December meeting were corroborated by other adult witnesses and I ?nd his statement about Connor calling him is credible. Connor?s phone call was in the off-seath during a period of time when Connor was actively coaching! Connor told{ in the phone call that ,4 rad been in the wrong in the team meeting and he talked about another player making a dumb decision in leaving the team. Connor was trained in the August 18, 2014 Coaches Meeting that potentially unacceptable conduct under district policy 5253 regarding staff/smdent boundaries .u - Annie Cole Re: Page 20 of 21 included contact with students outside of school by phone or text message. District procedure 5253P states in section I that maintaining personal contact with a student outside of school by phone beyond legitimate school business without the awareness of the parent is inappropriate boundary invasion. The Coach?s Handbook states ?ag coaches should not discuss players with other players. Connor?s remarks tol could reasonably have been interpreted by as ?n'ther demeaning comments his behavior at the meeting and additional harassment. Connor was aware that had not been attending conditioning workouts since the December meeting and therWas talk that I might be leaving the team, so his remark about ?_lteammate making _a dumb ecision in leaving the team raised the inference that would be dumb if he left the team. i also took Connor?s comment as an insult?to his teammate. I conclude that Connor Mawhinney?s telephone contact with: after the December team meeting constituted further harassment of' nder district policy 3207. While Connor?s phone contact was ostensibly abbiffootball related business, its content and that fact that it was done in the off-season create an appearance of impropriety under district policy 5253. 5.) Marc Airhart. Marc Airhart is Tracy Ford?s employee/assistant in his blisiness Ford Sports Performance. Marc was provided an opportunity to be interviewed, but he did not show up for his scheduled interview with me and he did not provide a reason or ask to reschedule. Witnesses stated he attended the December team meeting on with Tracy Ford. Marc is not a volunteer coach or district paid coach for the team. Matt Coombs reported that after Tracy anti? iwere head to head in a confrontation, Marc told ?Get the f?-?out? and ?You don?t know what the fu- you?re talking about.? I ?nd more likely than not true that Marc said these remarks to, at the meeting. Matt Coombs was credible in his statement to me about the meeting and Marc did not take advantage of his Opportunity to provide a statement about the meeting. As a visitor to the school, Marc should have signed in with the main of?ce, but if he accompanied Tracy Ford to the meeting it is likely he failed to do so since Tracy did not sign in. I ?nd that Marc?s presence at the meeting as Tracy?s assistant added to the potential for intimidation at the meeting. He was not a coach. His directive to a student player to get out of the room and telling a player he did not know what he was talking about and using the word violates the rules and policies of the Coach?s Handbook and the policies and procedures applicable to visitors to the school. 6.) TC Lewis. I ?nd that g' complain?hat TC Lewis acted on behalf of head coach Butch Gonchmo?when TCEwis called ,to talk to him about staying with or leaving Bellevue High football and his college football opportunities was not substantiated. Butch acknowledged TC Lewis called to talk to him about{ but he denied directing TC to act on his behalf and call? TC stated he calle kn his Annie Cole Re: Page 21 of 21 own initiative stated he made it clear with TC Lewis that he should not telephone his son Without parental consent and TC Lewis has complied With that request. Unless otherwise directed, this concludes my investigation. Sincerely, Shawn Ann Flood /saf enclosures: Records listed on page 2.