Probe supports Torres’ firing

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By Krystle S. Morey

An investigation by the Granville Central School District that led to the firing of varsity football coach Mario Torres offers myriad reasons for his mid-season ouster.
Torres maintained that he had “no obligation” to notify school administrators after he learned that police had found three of his players smoking marijuana on school property.
Torres told the investigator: “I don’t believe I did anything wrong.”
The Granville Sentinel obtained this information through the Freedom of Information Law:
> Torres failed to report an incident on Sept. 2 involving students being caught by police smoking marijuana on school property, even though he learned about it the next day.
> Torres denies he met with parents and guardians of students regarding the incident, although at least one parent said he did so.
> Torres did not follow-up with police to obtain a copy of the police report, even after the officer involved told him it would be ready on Sept. 7.
> Torres allowed student-athletes to participate in games and practices after he learned about their drug use.
> Torres disciplined the athletes, requiring them to run additional laps during practice, but he denied doing so.
> The student-athletes admitted to denying their involvement when first asked by Torres.
> Torres told the investigator during an interview that lasted an hour and 45 minutes that “he did not believe that he had any obligation to report the alleged incident to the athletic director, principal or superintendent.”
The Board of Education voted 9-0 last week to fire Torres, who in nine seasons and two games as head coach, had a record of 30-53, with three winning seasons.
When school superintendent Mark Bessen learned of the incident on Sept. 14, he contacted Capital Region BOCES, asking for an expedited investigation regarding allegations surrounding the behavior and actions of Torres and his involvement or lack thereof in a situation with players’ drug use.
When asked when he became aware of the incident involving the students, Torres said varsity football volunteer coach Andrew Dirga notified him on Sept. 3, the day after Granville Police Officer Ethan Macura discovered three players and another student smoking on school property.
Rachel Rissetto, director of labor relations at Capital Region BOCES, interviewed Torres the day after the district requested the investigation. Torres, who was employed by the district since 2001, interviewed with Rissetto in the presence of his lawyer, Robert M. Winn of Granville.
Torres told the investigator that he, Dirga, and assistant coach Aaron Torres, his brother, met with the players who were involved in the Sept. 2 incident. Torres said one student “adamantly denied” his and his peers’ involvement, and said that the entire allegation was untrue. That meeting, Torres said, occurred the morning before the Horde’s football game against Hoosic Valley.
All three of the student-athletes involved in the incident played in that football game, which Granville lost, 43-12, that evening.
The report said Torres confirmed that the students continued to practice with the team through Sept. 12, and participate fully in the game against Greenwich on Sept. 10, which Granville lost, 49-0.
If their denial of the incident was a lie, Torres told the players, “you will be punished worse than what you’ll get from the school.”
Torres told investigators that he did not discipline the students or require them to “run extra laps.”
Torres said “he did not discipline the students because he was uncertain as to whether or not they had (redacted) and he was waiting for the incident report.”
The handwritten explanation of events by the students, however, stated that Torres did make them “run laps as punishment and that additional punishment may be coming.”
One athlete did try to quit the team, the report stated.
Torres told the investigator that one of the athletes involved failed to report to practice on Sept. 13. That student texted Torres mid-practice, requesting a meeting with him.
At the meeting, the student “apologized … for lying,” Torres said. After practice that same day, Torres said he was contacted by one of the athlete’s parents. He said the man apologized for his “son’s lies” and “apologized for being suspended.”
Another student texted Torres that day, apologizing for denying his involvement in the incident and stating he was “scared.”
Torres went to the police station Sept. 5, requesting to see the police report and was told it was unavailable at the time, so Macura described the incident to him. Torres had attempted to meet with the officer on Sept. 4, but Macura was unavailable because it was a Sunday.
Torres said Macura texted him later that evening of Sept. 5, stating that the police report would be available Sept. 7.
Torres told the investigator that he did not follow-up with the officer to get the report in the ensuing days. Administrators obtained a copy of the police report and contacted Torres on Sept. 13.
“There was a disconnect with the stories … there were no criminal charges,” Torres said about Macura’s description of the incident.
According to the report, when asked specifically if he did not believe Macura’s statement, Torres “failed to answer the question.”
When asked if he thought the information in the police report would differ from Macura’s explanation, Torres stated he did not, declining to elaborate.
Torres stated also that he “did not, in any way (phone, in person, or via text or email) contact any of the parents or guardians” of the students.
A parent, however, told school administrators that Torres met with her at her house to discuss the incident.
“Torres failed to notify them of the incident,” the report stated. It continued:
“The school conducted its own internal investigation, led by principal Camille Harrelson, regarding the students’ involvement with drug use on school property.
“Capital Region BOCES’ report found that Harrelson ‘used appropriate investigative techniques, including having multiple adults present when interviewing students, having the students interviewed separately and not together, and asking the students to provide written statements, outlining their perception and recollection of the events at issue.’”