Four players cut from Jefferson Co. team sue coach, school
Players Derrick “Rabbit” Lowery, Jacob Giles, Joseph Dooley and Dillan Spurlock claim that they created the petition and gathered 18 signatures from teammates and six others based on what they said was two years of verbal and physical abuse and dishonesty at the hands of head coach Marty Euverard.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court on Friday, also names principal Dale Schneitman and athletic director Craig Kisabeth.
The three defendants all claim that the students were cut from the team for insubordination, not circulating the petition, and that the claims of abuse are false.
“No player was dismissed because they put their name on a petition,” Schneitman said. “The coach asked them to do something. They refused to do it. When the coach tried to address this situation with the team, these kids were out of line and were asked to leave.”
“If (Euverard) had abused players, I wouldn’t stand for that,” he said. “I made an investigation into some of the allegations and found them to be unwarranted … Our investigation has us firmly behind our coach.”
The teenagers’ attorney, Michael S. Kelley, said one of the student’s parents kept a detailed log of the incidents cited in the suit claiming that, among other incidents, Euverard: delivered a “hard, opened-handed punch” to the side of a player’s helmet, “which violently jarred” the player’s head; that he led improper mandatory offseason practice; and humiliated players who missed practice or training.
The log also claims that an assistant coach grabbed the Patriots’ star rusher, Chris Shiverdecker, by the throat and shoved him last year. Shiverdecker transferred to Alcoa at the end of last school year and was named offensive MVP in this year’s 2A state championship game. Shiverdecker is not involved with the suit.
Euverard called allegations “complete lies.”
The log also claims that an assistant coach grabbed the Patriots’ star rusher, Chris Shiverdecker, by the throat and shoved him last year. Shiverdecker transferred to Alcoa at the end of last school year and was named offensive MVP in this year’s 2A state championship game.
The log was turned over to Jefferson County School Board Chairman Greg Sharpe, who declined to release it to The Knoxville News Sentinel under the Tennessee Open Records Act, but said he would consult the school board’s attorney about doing so.
The suit seeks $5,000 in compensatory damages for each player, attorney’s fees and a total of $200,000 in punitive damages. It also asks that the four be reinstated to the team and their dismissals removed from school records.
“This is not a lawsuit about money,” Kelley said. “It’s about the Constitutional rights of these students being abridged.”
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Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com