STACYVILLE, Maine — It was clear that the majority of the more than 60 people at the RSU 50 board meeting on Monday evening were there in support of Southern Aroostook baseball coach and athletic director Murray Putnam, who was placed on paid leave on May 15.
But the school board will not make additional decisions about Putnam until Monday, June 18, when the embattled coach and his legal counsel will meet with the board during a special meeting at Southern Aroostook Community High School in Dyer Brook. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the library.
More than 60 people jammed the cafeteria at Katahdin Elementary School during Monday night’s school board meeting. Before the meeting, the board decided that only the five individuals who contacted them would speak to avoid repetition from attendees.
While Interim Superintendent John A. Doe has not indicated why Putnam was placed on leave, speakers made references to inappropriate pictures that were posted online after the annual preseason spring baseball trip to Boston. Speakers and some community members indicated that they believed the photos may have included possible instances of hazing.
Putnam is not suspected of any involvement but as head coach he has oversight responsibilities for the team. Players involved in the incident reportedly have been disciplined.
Putnam’s 44-year coaching tenure includes nearly 480 victories and five state championships.
Speakers repeatedly praised Putnam, calling him a man of high moral character who is compassionate, fair, nonjudgmental and kind. One man said that Putnam’s reputation was being “buried” under accusations and asked the board to “do what is right, not what someone is whispering in your ear.”
Candy Nevers, town manager in Smyrna and Merrill, said that Putnam has influenced countless young lives. She said that she has heard a lot of feedback from residents who are troubled by his forced leave.
Frank Horton, who also supported Putnam, said that his son was on the Boston trip.
“He did not hear about the situation [in question] until days later,” he said. “So I don’t think the coaches knew.”
He asked the board to let Putnam return to work.
David Gordon, an Oakfield resident and businessman, said that his best summer employees have been students coached by Putnam.
“He teaches them respect, cooperation, loyalty, how to win gracefully and how to lose gracefully and about personal responsibility,” he said.
“Does the record reflect that the issue at hand had been brought to him before?” he asked the board. “If the answer is ‘no,’ there can only be one just outcome … Don’t let this issue be a miscarriage of justice and set a horrible precedent.”
Ken Coville, who also addressed the board, did not discuss his stance on Putnam but said that the board had to take steps to let students and staff know that hazing is inappropriate. He said that single acts by coaches, such as talking to the team prior to the start of the season, could have prevented incidents of hazing that allegedly occurred.
Doe said Tuesday that he could not comment on remarks about hazing, but said that “the district has all of the appropriate policies in place” related to what was discussed at the meeting.”
Dave Moore, who lives in Smyrna, said after the meeting that Putnam never would do anything to harm any youth or the school community. He felt that placing him on leave was unfair.
“I think what happened to him is completely unjust,” he said. “But hopefully what we did tonight was showed the power of the people. Maybe we’ll have some influence.”
Regina Cunliffe, who also attended the meeting, agreed.
“I feel it is an injustice against a gentleman who dedicates his life to youth and to the school community,” she said. “I think this was a bad choice by a few young people. Where does the responsibility begin? With the young people.”
She and Moore also said that they did not believe there was a way to tell whether adults were present when the inappropriate photos were being taken.
Putnam has guided the Southern Aroostook baseball team to 10 Eastern Maine championships and Class D state titles in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999.
He has served as the school’s athletic director for the last 39 years, is a 2002 inductee into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame and the recipient of the 2006 State Award of Merit from the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
RSU 50 serves the communities of Crystal, Dyer Brook, Island Falls, Merrill, Oakfield and Smyrna.
Watch bangordailynews.com for updates.
From the article: She and Moore also said that there was no way to tell whether adults were present when the inappropriate photos were being taken.
When is someone going to state what was inappropriate with them?
The RUMOR is that the alleged photos involved partial nudity. Thus, leading to Police questioning after it was reported.
The Administration then has NO CHOICE but to put the staff in charge on leave until the investigation is complete, whether they support their staff or not.
RUMOR says there MAY BE a potential lawsuit, which further muddies the waters, if in fact true.
Coach Putnam has strong community backing and I am guessing that he had no knowledge whatsoever of the incident in question until well after the fact.
Coach Putnam should have his name cleared, unless I am SEVERELY mistaken. My limited contact with him in the past has shown him to be a man of high moral character.
One can understand the parents of the kids involved being very upset- but it is very unfortunate that Coach Putnam has to take the fall for the actions of a very few of his own players, who used very poor judgement.
Here is hoping that Coach Putnam will be able to return to the dugout when this is all over. He certainly does not deserve to have his storied career at SACHS end in this manner.
Sadly I have only read about that key word being “rumored” and I would hate to see anyone’s named smeared over a rumor. Sadly it happens often and that is why I would love for an official report to state what was so inappropriate.
There is a way to see if adults were presents at the time of the pictures being taken. All they have to do is look at the video recording from the cameras that they put in the buses. And a kid had a sock over his dingaling :P
This is below junior high school quality reporting. It is like a badly edited myspace page.
And this from the managing editor of the New York Times. Impressive.
I find it a bit odd that this coach is taking such a blow based upon the inappropriate actions of a few players. I mean it’s not like he’s raising them, or can follow them around 24/7. Badly raised children do bad things like fail in school and take tasteless photos of themselves and then share them with others. Coaches and teachers can only train, teach, and monitor so much…after that it comes down to what badly acting children’s parents are or are not doing. Is anyone investigating any of these boys parents? Nope, didn’t think so. When kids fail or do dumb things it’s always someone else’s fault. Right mom and pop?
Absolutely! I worked up there twice during my teaching tenure and found Murray to be nothing but a kind and respectful gentleman. You’re right about parenting, a few bad apples extend their branches to those of their young, but it’s usually the school’s fault, or the teachers. And sometimes you just get ‘less than desirable offspring’. I’m not saying teachers as a group are perfect, no one is. But, we can’t follow the kids home at night and make sure they’re being raised properly. Thanks for speaking up.
What I find most interesting about this entire situation is that apparently RSU 50’s interim superintendent is a John Doe.
When I was in school, there was “some hazing” going on but NONE of the coaches knew about it. We tried to keep it that way because we knew we would be in deep trouble if they ever found out. When are kids going to learn that you don’t post this stuff on the internet for EVERYONE to see?
Todd, that’s because Facebook, Twitter, etc. didn’t exist when we were in HS. I recall numerous track athletes showing up to states (the day after prom) hung over my sr. year and nobody knew about it.
Do you people realize that this man is getting more publicity and punishment than the Priests…hardly reasonable
Punish the priests!
He is taking the fall for a school with poor leadership. My neice went there and said all you had to do when you got in trouble was tell the principal the teacher does not like you or was unfair and you could get away with anything, also the coach was supported when any incidence would come up on these trips until now when the admin could get in trouble if they backed him, he has been thrown to the wolves by poor leadership.
Houltonborn, Did you notice that all the publicity and online activity seems to be coming from supporters. It is somewhat hypocritical for all those posters creating the very furor that they are protesting.
Todd and Ryan, I have to wonder if your coaches really didn’t know what was going on or maybe turned a blind eye in order to keep their star athletes in place.
Douglas, I have to agree with you. It is mostly cut and paste from earlier articles. Did you notice how the writer biases the story right from the beginning using supportive rather than objective language with a headline calling him an “embattled” coach. Its as if the paper has already joined the supporters in making this guy into a folk hero. Also if the superintendent “has not indicated why Putnam was placed on leave” then how does the news paper know that “Putnam is not suspected of any involvement” I am not saying he is suspected I’m just saying the paper seems to be taking rumors and hearsay from supporters and reporting them as facts.
Kevin, I think you hit the nail on the head lots of rumors in the press and especially in these posts. The thing is that all these rumors seem to be being spread by the supporters. Any smearing ironically is coming from those who don’t seem to be willing to let the Superintendent and School Board just do their job. Seems to me that waist watcher is right that if their is an investigation of suspected problems the administration has no choice but to put the guy on leave while they sort out the FACTS. The paper makes much of the coaches winning record as if somehow that earns him a pass or something. It make you wonder if the circumstances were the same and this was a coach with a losing record would the same crowd be complaining that he had not already been fired.
According to the Paper (lets hope they got this right but who knows really) the coach and his legal counsel will meet with the School Board. So whatever happened on that trip and whatever if any his role was he’ll get a chance to deal with it with his employer with his rights protected. Just like the rest of us mere mortals.
The reason he has supporters is that before this happened, there was a meeting questioning the trip and Mr. Putnam, and the community rallied then. It would not have mattered what happened on the trip , certain people did not want Mr. Putnam coaching or on the Boston trip. These personal agendas have been around for awhile, and are now being played out. Real men take care of their own problems they do not drag kids into their scheme to get their own way, and that is all this is. It never should have been handled this way, never. The school had 3 games left, the coach should have been made aware of the problem, there should have been an investigation, and if it had evidence of improper things dealt with. This is just dirty bad business hurting kids and a community.
Right Karen. There were four reasons for this happening, they were as follows: #1 Get Mr. Putnam #2 Get Mr. Putnam #3 Get Mr. Putnam and #4 Protect the kids. That’s pretty much it.
As a father of a freshman on Coach Putnams team, I feel I have sat on the sidelines long enough.
My son went on this years annual balltrip to Boston. not only did my son look forward to this trip, he hopes to attend next years trip as well( though it appears at the present, thats highly unlikely). I was in constant contact with my son throughout his entire trip(via cel phone and text) and never once did I get the sense of fear or that he was in any danger. I have a great relationship with him. He’s my best friend. I think I know him pretty well. He just wanted to get the season started and play ball with his team and one of Maine’s greatest High School coaches. Which he got to do, and he enjoyed it.
No “FACTS” have been stated on this whole debacle because MY ballplayer was interviewed by members of Administration and Counsel and told not to speak of the interview outside of the room. I know this to be true because I sat in on this interview. Not speaking, only listening. My son told it like he saw it. But they had a notepad of “FACTS” that they would periodically flip thru, making references to what MAY or MAY NOT have happened.. saying ” What about…?” or ” Didn’t…?” To which my son would reply, ” I never saw that.”
Whatever happened to Freedom of Speech that our Constitution grants each and every American? They want to silence us so FACTS are not released to the public. And by using Fear Tactics, they have done just that. Let the Truth be told. Take off the gag order.
Free OUR Speech!
Respectfully, fatherof20ne
Nobody can issue a gag order except in a jury trial. Here’s some advice and I deal with lawyers daily. If they are talking to you and you are not paying for them do not answer. No minor should be questioned without parents present, they do not know as a child what it is like to go to court and their innocent answers can be twisted. This is a public school and even though it happened on a school trip it does not exclude legal rights. No child should live in shame, be silenced , told not to talk , and live in fear, that is abuse and bullying. The parents should charge the school with that. Who is running this school the lawyers and police. This is a public school not a police run school.Schools can investigate, kids can volunteer information but by no means should anyone be told to be silenced. This is just wrong and they are trying to shame Mr. Putnam into retiring, go back when you are free. The best revenge in life is to do well.