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HighSchool Fan
04-08-2005, 12:05 PM
Coaching flap roils Pilot Point

Head football coach, one assistant have recently resigned


By Ethan B. Szatmary / Staff Writer




Turmoil continued to swirl around the Pilot Point High School athletic department this week following the resignations of the head football coach and one of his assistants.


Darren Hall
Assistant coach Darren Hall resigned Monday, one week after the resignation of head coach Mike Russell, who had been hired as the replacement for head football coach and athletic director G.A. Moore. Moore, Texas’ winningest high school football coach, announced his retirement in December 2004. Both Moore and Russell are now scheduled to leave the district at the end of this school year.

With rumors and gossip spreading around town about improper use of e-mail by coaches and promises that were allegedly made by the Pilot Point administration to both Moore and Russell, nearly 200 people in the Pilot Point school district turned out at a school board meeting Monday night to protest the resignation of Russell, the fifth head football coach to leave the school in as many years.

"Superintendents are always forced to deal with situations that they didn’t anticipate," Pilot Point Superintendent Cloyce Purcell said Wednesday. "A superintendent is going to make decisions that are not going to be popular."

COACHING FLAP

E-MAIL EXCERPTS
Responding to an anonymous tip, the Denton Record-Chronicle made an open-records request last week to obtain copies of all e-mails among the district’s coaches since January.

This request produced a 6-inch-thick stack of e-mails, most of which were day-to-day conversations between coaches about school business. Some of the e-mails, however, predominantly those among Russell, Hall, track coach Mike Segleski and assistant football coach Stephen Riddle, contained conversations of a private nature.

These e-mails contained personal information about various coaches and students at the school, occasional racial epithets, sexually derogatory comments about students, and attacks on school administrators and other coaches.


Mike Russell
"We were just talking like coaches talk in the locker room — coach speak," Russell said. "It never occurred to us that anybody would be interested in our e-mail. It was just the private way men talk among friends and colleagues. If there’s any blame for this, it should fall on me. The other guys are just young guys, and I’d hate to see their careers ruined over it.

"In retrospect, we should not have e-mailed it or put it in print."

Hall, Segleski and Riddle could not be reached for comment. No other coaches had resigned as of Thursday evening, but signed renewed contracts are due at the administration building today. Purcell said that the paperwork won’t be processed until Monday or Tuesday.

Prior to the start of the 2004-05 school year, all Pilot Point teachers and coaches attended a seminar conducted by Randy Stout, attorney for the Pilot Point school district, regarding the usage of e-mail and district computers. According to Stout and Purcell, the faculty signed an employee agreement over the proper usage of e-mail. Pilot Point school district policy regarding electronic communication and data management says that employees can be disciplined for improper usage of e-mail and fired for non-compliance.

Purcell said that the superintendent’s office by law cannot comment on personnel issues. However, Russell confirmed that disciplinary action was taken against Hall, Segleski and Riddle. But Russell denied that these e-mails or any disciplinary action taken because of these e-mails had a role in his resignation or the resignation or firing of any Pilot Point coach.

"No coach was fired because of his e-mail or forced to resign because of it. None." Russell said. "That’s not the reason I resigned. I resigned because when it came to the administration, I felt like I was already starting to have the same problems that coach Moore had that forced him to step down."

When asked to explain, Russell declined to elaborate.

Moore could not be reached for comment.

Russell also said that Purcell told him that Pilot Point High School Principal Steve Whiffen had requested that Hall, Segleski and Riddle be re-assigned to another school in the district.

Both students and parents spoke out against Russell’s resignation Monday night at the school board meeting — a meeting that had to be moved from the administration building to the Pilot Point Middle School to accommodate the crowd.

Sophomore Monty Chambers, a football, track and powerlifting athlete, represented a group of 20 students at the meeting. He said the students were frustrated after losing Moore and wanted Russell to stay.

"What happens now?" Chambers asked. "Are you going to have to start all over? We’ve gone through five head coaches in five years. Do we need to take a look at what is really going on in our school?"

The students attending the meeting and speaking out struck a chord with Purcell.

"I was proud of our kids," he said. "They did a good job. Their statements were well-prepared. I was proud of the way they stood up for what they believed. I want kids who care about Pilot Point. They make us stronger."

Since the subject of Russell’s resignation was not on the agenda for the school board meeting, the board could not address the students’ concerns, causing the students and their parents to leave the meeting in frustration.

Two parents interviewed by the Record-Chronicle initially defended the coaches, but changed their opinions when told of the nature of the e-mails.

"It’s frustrating because nobody would tell us why [Russell resigned]," said Larry Stuckley, whose sons Ethan and Jacob both play several sports for Pilot Point. "I know the law won’t let them, but it’s still frustrating. The board just sat there looking at us indifferently. I’m a proud papa, and I just want to see what is best for my children. We need leadership, and the administration won’t let the coaches lead.

"I was in the school board meeting when they promised coach Russell that he could pick his staff, and then they turned around and extended a coach’s contract without telling him."

When told about the e-mails, Stuckley remained critical of the administration, but also included the coaches in his criticism.

"I don’t know what was said in the e-mails, but if it’s really that bad, people need to go," he said. "That still comes down to leadership. It all starts at the top. We need better leadership."

Todd Laughry, a veterinarian who has three children in elementary and middle school in Pilot Point, at first reiterated Stuckley’s criticism of the administration.

"When you have four coaches leave in five years and you lose another one, it generally indicates that there is a problem," Laughry said. "The administration has not come through on their promises to the coaches."

When told about the e-mails, his attitude toward the coaching staff quickly changed.

"They were saying those things about students?" Laughry said. "If stuff like that was going on, then everybody involved — teachers or coaches — should be removed. It’s unacceptable stuff."

Purcell said he is doing his best to address those concerns.

"The responsibility for being a good role model is paramount to being a coach. The opportunity to impact lives is tremendous," Purcell said. "I want someone who wants to do for children. I want somebody who understands their obligations to the school district, the UIL, the board of trustees and the community. I want somebody that wants to teach and take kids and give them the very best they have to offer."

Purcell indicated that the administration office was currently investigating the organizational structure of other 3A high school athletic departments and would reconvene on Thursday to report their findings and begin searching for a new athletic director. Purcell has also asked Moore to assign a coach to oversee the summer workout programs until a new athletic director can be found.

KTJ
04-08-2005, 12:34 PM
Coach Hall was my track coach sophomore and junior years of high school at Gainesville. And I've known Coach Russell for years. I find it hard to believe that they would use racial slurs against students.

With that said, I don't know what's going on in that school district but they are just dragging their name through the mud. It's kind of hard to believe that Pilot Point of all places would be going through this mess.

HighSchool Fan
04-08-2005, 12:37 PM
here is some of the emails that they were talking about

E-MAIL EXCERPTS

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following story contains material that might be offensive to some readers. The following are excerpts of e-mails sent on the Pilot Point school district computer system over the names of members of the Pilot Point High School coaching staff and obtained by the Denton Record-Chronicle through a Freedom of Information Act request. The e-mails were written by Mike Russell, who resigned last week after being hired to become head football coach and athletic director upon the retirement of G.A. Moore; Darren Hall, an assistant football coach who resigned this week; Mike Segleski, track coach and assistant football coach; and Stephen Riddle, an assistant football coach. All the e-mails were sent since the beginning of the year. The Record-Chronicle did not change any grammar, capitalization or spellings. The newspaper has removed obscenities, racial epithets and the names of other coaches mentioned in the e-mail conversations. School officials redacted the names of students before releasing the e-mails.

Jan. 13:

Segleski: So what are you saying Hall?

Hall: School board members are the DEVIL reincarnated!

Russell: Heard GA [Moore] might run for Board here!

Hall: [Racial epithet] has my vote!

Russell: They also talked about his buddy the Old principal --- Would be a great pair - That meey/ting the other night only made the Natives more restless - They are now PISSED!

Hall: Let’s start over - completely! Fire everyone, except us [racial epithet]s, and rebuild with our kind of folk!

Russell: They plan to attack every week! - No rest for this board.

Hall: Any time frame on notifying the girls side of the "big" news?

Russell: Originally Friday - probably next Tuesday.

Hall: Sounds great.

Jan. 14

Russell: Where is Hall at?

Segleski: He’s on his bell to bell thing again.

Russell: Tell him it’s Friday.

Hall: I don’t like Friday - if ya know what I mean.

Segleski: You bringing the game of Yahtzee for you, goober and gomer to play on the way to Pottsboro?

Hall: It’s called "Who’s the Moron?" I’ll win cause I’m having to be around them - but they’ll be a close second.

Segleski: Ya’ll all going to be sitting in one seat?

Hall: BOYS< ya’ll have failed to realize that I’ll be on a bus with lots of young ladies. I’ll be busy impressing them with my Fully-Loaded - vocabulary.

Russell: They will hope Xxxxx misses the bus!

Jan. 19

Hall: Just start firing the "rusty" out of everyone. Get on a roll and piss’ em all off early.

Segleski: Yeah, just do it. We’re behind you.

Russell: You boys will probably start hiding when you see me!

Hall: If you notice, me and Seg are always going opposite of you in the afternoon. I can’t wait to get to b-ball nowadays.

Segleski: Did you just say that?

Hall: NO, I didn’t say I like b-ball just wanted to go over and stand watch. Russell could drop the big bomb any minute and any person around - I thought he might drop it on Xxxxx yesterday.

Segleski: Russell is going to start firing admin now too. Hey, can you get me fired from teaching and just let me coach?

Hall: The Grey Ghost is asking about coaching changes at PPHS on Allsports.

Segleski: Should we ask if he’s gay again or what he does with school board members?

Russell: Does he not have a clue who you are?

Segleski: No clue. He always as me have you seen what they are saying about me.

Russell: Poor guy!

Hall: He told Xxxxx yesterday that he didn’t think Xxxxx would ahve a job here next year.

Russell: Wonder why!

Hall: She had 20 questions for me this morning about it. I just gave a quick "Rusty" and grabbed my crotch and walked away.

Jan. 21

Hall: PP_BEARCAT just emailed me and said that Xxxxx was in charge of the girls and that Russell was in charge of the guys and he was told this by a school board member. Russell has nothing to do with the girls program.

Russell: WRONG!

Hall: That roundball stuff is gonna be hard to fill. You hear PP, you think football.

Russell: That is the way we want it - Just like the other night leaving - I heard Xxxxx say - B-ball doesn’t matter - Football is all that counts.

Jan. 25

Russell: Xxxxx came in today with his Graffitti Notebook I turned into Xxxxx last week - Complete with Gang Signs - Says he is now going to turn in his work so he can pass - Fat Rusty chance since he made 55 1st Semester.

Segleski: ditto for World Geography for him. I’ll have him for a 3rd go around next year.

Russell: We need to find a Baseball Coach - Know of any?

Segleski: All of my coaching buddies hate it as much as bball. If Hall doesn’t start taking to us, let’s give it to him.

Jan. 26

Russell (to Hall): Silicon Challenge - Can you tell a real pair from a fake one [Pictures of breasts].

Russell: My A/C is not working - would like to open door and air out room - too many Idiots going to lunch - Everybody stops and hollers ...

Hall: My air is set at 66!!!!!! The girls don’t like it. The guys do!!!!!!!!!!!! [Racial epithet] is about 6 points away from being mentally retarded.

Russell: Got my weekly headache today - GA showed up today ...

Jan. 28

Hall: Xxxxx took a starters pistol into his Supt’s office one day when he found out the Supt wanted to confront him on his off-season/powerlifting/track workouts that he had every day for every kid in athletics. He said he pulled it out and said "This is my

GD athletic program and I’ll run it is I see fit" Supt, thanked him for coming and said Keep up the good work!

Russell: What a great approach!

Hall: We are watching the sex video in class -- Got several fresh girls that are making comments about how it didn’t really happen that way.

Russell: Have them summarize their findings

Jan. 31

Russell: Xxxxx got her nails done Friday nite - The little Vietnamese girl that does them must be making too much money - She had her eyes done so that she had less slant - now she is going to have breast implants - Hunt would have wood!

Feb. 2

Hall: I know Xxxxx don’t like the work ethic -or like of-of these kids. He may just not be real happy about anything right now.

Russell: Need to get rid of this bunch - Also I know he wants the Girls – Xxxxx needs to change sceneries - Maybe Ponder.

Feb. 7

Russell: Tom and I can take care of the throwers////weight groups!////Big BUTTS

Segleski: So Xxxxx will be with you?

Russell: We need to call him little.

Feb. 8

Hall: Xxxxx, I regret to inform you that your daughter needs to apply at Hooters cause her talents don’t lie in the area of softball.

Russell: What? Will she be a COOK?

Feb. 11

Hall: for b-ball game vs. W’boro Bearcats -Love getting beat by the PotHead Bearcats.

If you breed the two you might get a decent athlete who likes to smoke the "Ganja from the Motherland" Wait a minute - I resemble that remark.

Hall: Xxxxx is sitting here-would you like to help him with his jump shot.

Riddle: Tell him nobody is watching.

Hall: Tell him that every game is against Pottsboro, and he’ll score 30

Riddle: Tell him the lights are off and everyone has gone home.

Russell: He showed up at 7:50-Hall talked to him-Came to me-He thinks he was still loaded-Very talkative and mouthy -Not like typical Xxxxx.

Feb. 15

Russell: ...GA also knows of a possible 6-3 soph from Frisco that may look at moving here.

Danny Joe David: Keep on Hall about his buddy. We got to get some athletes in here. ...

Feb. 16

Russell: Just got an e-mail from coach in Sherman-Old PP name-looking for a job-has three sons-Do not know ages.

Hall: We only have two more visitation days this month-Maybe wait til March-supposed to get 3 extra days then.

Russell: GA is fulltime recruiter -NO LIMITS

Segleski: Are we allowed to send him on the road or is this one of those months they can just come to our campus?

Feb. 17

Russell: He came by - not getting much help out of him on some things-mentioned that he did not want to run for the Board-told him about Calhoun not going to be here on Fri-Told him we were short handed-He said that he didn’t want to run or the Board because he might coach again-Said Denton Liberty had talked to him-I need to talk to Cloyce. ...

Feb. 18

Hall: I say we all go-one hand on your peckers, the other on a resignation letter-let them figure out how to put on track meets without coaches.

Segleski: My hands not long enough, it’ll take two where am I going to put the resignation letter

Hall: Tell the supt to let Corky run his own track meets-His girls ain’t invited!

Segleski: He won’t do anything to upset the Cork.

Hall: Let that pear-shaped little [expletive] to do his own thing.

Hall: May quit coaching and be a straight teacher-get involved in all these extra programs and be on all those committees.

Russell: I would haul PIG [expletive]-before I would be a full-time teacher for Xxxxx.

Feb. 21

Hall: Saw this posted on Allsports. Pilot Point one win away from Regional Tourny...I tell you what, if they get to the Regional Tourny, we need to get rid of that coach, that just proves that he can’t do his job...oops the School Board approved for his contract to be renewed... DANG, Guess we’ll have to sit through another WINNING SEASON next year.

Feb. 22

[After discussing Bremond opening]

Hall: BREEMONDD 1A in south central... Got lots of speed-good mix of white germans and dark [racial epithet]!

March 4

Hall: This ain’t gonna be a abd place when we get everyone fired or killed off.

— Staff report

KTJ
04-08-2005, 12:43 PM
Wow, okay....guess I was wrong.

And how did the Denton paper get their hands on these emails? That sounds kinda sketch.

HighSchool Fan
04-08-2005, 12:46 PM
Originally posted by KTJ
Wow, okay....guess I was wrong.

And how did the Denton paper get their hands on these emails? That sounds kinda sketch.

the school is a public entity(sp). they got them with the open records act. went to court to get them

KTJ
04-08-2005, 12:55 PM
So basically, they should have had these email conversations thru their home computers instead of at school?

Bandera YaYa
04-08-2005, 12:55 PM
Wow.....after yesterday's shooting of A coach and now hearing the words "fired or killed off" coming FROM a coach....don't know what to think about it all.....Those "men" certainly don't need to be coaching or teaching... hope they named some people specifically...so the parents can haul their loser butts to court.....they made a BIG mistake talking like that on school property and school time.....HAHAHA ......they ain't talking so big now, I bet!!!! You say they are...WERE....good coaches.....WHO CARES!!!! :mad:

HighSchool Fan
04-08-2005, 01:01 PM
Originally posted by KTJ
So basically, they should have had these email conversations thru their home computers instead of at school?

basically, they shouldn't of had the conversations in the first place. it really doesn't surprise me about mike russell. he was always out for himself anyway.

AP Panther Fan
04-08-2005, 01:09 PM
Originally posted by HighSchool Fan
basically, they shouldn't of had the conversations in the first place

Boy, you got that right. Incredible.:nerd:

Bandera YaYa
04-08-2005, 01:11 PM
Originally posted by HighSchool Fan
basically, they shouldn't of had the conversations in the first place. it really doesn't surprise me about mike russell. he was always out for himself anyway. I agree HSFan.....NOT ACCEPTABLE !........but hey, I hear Wendy's is hiring.......maybe some one can send him an e-mail!

KTJ
04-08-2005, 01:16 PM
Yeah, I agree they should have never had these convo's to begin with. Wow, that is probably the end of coaching for those folks and I'm glad they left Gainesville when they did. (too bad they didn't get to reap the benefits of a few state championships while they were there. :D)

I bet Coach Hall is at Texas Relays right now. If I bump into him, it's gonna be awkward.

Bandera YaYa
04-08-2005, 01:42 PM
Originally posted by KTJ
Yeah, I agree they should have never had these convo's to begin with. Wow, that is probably the end of coaching for those folks and I'm glad they left Gainesville when they did. (too bad they didn't get to reap the benefits of a few state championships while they were there. :D)

I bet Coach Hall is at Texas Relays right now. If I bump into him, it's gonna be awkward. Awkward maybe, but I'd hate to be him.....around a bunch of informed parents......Yikes!! :eek:

Chief Woodman
04-08-2005, 02:50 PM
Did you notice...the coaches ADMIT G A is a recruiter. Of course he is. Sure does blemish the accomplishments he has that everyone brags about.

lepfan
04-08-2005, 03:04 PM
Originally posted by Chief Woodman
the coaches ADMIT G A is a recruiter. Of course he is. Sure does blemish the accomplishments he has that everyone brags about.

I think we would all be surprised at who really is a recruiter.....makes you think, huh?????

HighSchool Fan
04-09-2005, 03:33 PM
Originally posted by Chief Woodman
Did you notice...the coaches ADMIT G A is a recruiter. Of course he is. Sure does blemish the accomplishments he has that everyone brags about.

it just goes to prove that he the best recruited ever, who else could get someone to move to little ol celina or pilot point :D

lepfan
04-09-2005, 04:43 PM
The paper was tipped by an unamed source...didn't I read that somewhere? If that is the case I would tend to believe it was someone within the school system who is the "unamed source"....probably someone with the tech department or who had access to all accounts. What do you think?

HighSchool Fan
04-09-2005, 04:48 PM
Originally posted by lepfan
What do you think?

i think that this doesn't surprise me with mike russell. as soon as he was hired i said it was a bad thing for the kids over there. he is only out for himself.