High School Football Coach Suspended After Police Found Him Partially Clothed at Stadium
A New Jersey high school football coach has been suspended after police said they found him, partially clothed, and a woman trespassing at the school’s stadium. Authorities also say they discovered human feces and vomit-covered jerseys in the locker room.
A police report states the incident occurred on November 6, when officers found Asbury Park High School Football Coach Nick Famularo, 26, without pants at the stadium at 2:21 a.m., according to the NJ Advance.
Asbury Park Police Spokesman Mike Casey said the football coach “displayed an altered behavior,” according to the outlet.
“It is unknown what this was due to,” Casey told the Patch.
The coach reportedly told police he was locked out of his car, but police learned it was registered to his girlfriend and therefore they could not open the vehicle, the NJ Advance reports, citing a police report.
Eventually, Famularo’s girlfriend arrived to pick up the football coach, police said. At that point, a woman walked from the direction of the field with his possessions including his facility keys, car keys, cell phone, and jacket, the outlet states per the police report.
Famularo eventually left the facility with his girlfriend, officials said, per NJ Advance.
Two of the officers on the scene allegedly knew Famularo, and one reportedly went to school with the coach, who graduated from Asbury Park High School in 2013, the NJ Advance reports.
The report states officers then gained entry to the facility with the assistance of another football coach who came to the scene. Asbury Park Education Association President John Napolitani later confirmed it was assistant coach Matt Ardizzone, who is also a gym teacher in the district. Police said they discovered human feces in the locker room and jerseys stained with vomit.
Famularo apparently coached the next day as the school’s Athletic Director Mark Gerbino said he was unaware of the incident, according to the NJ Advance.
On Thursday, school board members voted not to allow the football coach to return, according to the outlet. Gerbino, Ardizzone, and Assistant Coach Lamar Davenport were all placed on paid administrative leave at the school board meeting. The men have been suspended since November 8, and the suspensions will remain in effect until an investigation is concluded, the outlet reports.
Some in the school community disagree with the decision to punish Gerbino, Ardizzone, and Davenport.
Kindergarten Teacher Lynn Johnson, who has been with the Asbury Park School District for 21 years, voiced her opinion on the suspensions of the assistant coaches and athletic director.
“Those assistant coaches and the athletic director have done more for these kids than anyone, and way before (Famularo) came into the district,” Johnson said.
“After what happened, the district threw out a wide net that’s impacted two assistant coaches and the athletic director. They have nothing to do with what went on,” said 4th-grade teacher and Teacher’s Union Treasurer Sean Hamilton.
