Gorham seniors allowed back on lacrosse team following protest over coach’s behavior
GORHAM, Maine — A group of Gorham High School seniors have been allowed back onto the lacrosse team after they said they were removed for protesting a coach’s behavior.
Students and parents said the ban stems from ongoing problems with one of the coaches and his behavior.
Bode Coleman, a captain on Gorham’s varsity lacrosse team, along with his dad Jesse Coleman said that there had been issues for years with one of the Gorham coaches.
Jesse Coleman says the administration and athletic director were made aware of it.
“Sometimes certain actions go well beyond any type of appropriate coaching and the type of verbal abuse and berating of our athletes is unacceptable,” Jesse Coleman said.
The players claim the coach recently became upset with some athletes after they wore eye black during a game, and then refused to speak to them.
“Our tipping point was when he told all of the seniors that we were benched for the first quarter of our next game, which was a really important game for us and a really important game for us to win,” Gorham High School senior Justin Chasse said.
It was during that game against Waynflete on May 31 that the seniors decided to make a statement.
“We wanted to still support our team while we made our protest. So, we walked to the other end of the sideline,” Bode Coleman said.
“All we did was want to get away from our coach who told us that we couldn’t play anymore,” Chasse said.
On June 1, they say Gorham Athletic Director Tim Spear then told them they were off the team because of the protest.
On Tuesday, Gorham Superintendent Heather Perry said the players will be allowed to return to play effective immediately, saying that additional investigation led to a better understanding of the students’ actions.
“After talking with many of those directly involved in these events, we have made the decision that the suspension already served is sufficient and that the boys will be allowed to return to play effective immediately,” Perry said.
Jesse Coleman says the Gorham athletic director told him in a meeting that the coach in question was also no longer with the team. Head coach Clayton Jones was asked not to return to the team after Wednesday, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The Gorham High School lacrosse team will play the Class A playoff preliminary game in Lewiston at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.