Funny, I always thought of Hellmann as a Dr. Pepper kind of guy.
MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
Coach will return after 2-game suspension
Morrisville coach Jason Bresnen
Morrisville football team defensive coordinator Jason Bresnen addresses the Morrisville school board to apologize for his actions after being reinstated as coach. Bresnen resigned after allegations that he offered his players a $100 reward if they knocked a New Hope-Solebury player out of a game on September 10th.
Posted: Thursday, September 29, 2011 6:00 am | Updated: 9:11 am, Thu Sep 29, 2011.
The defensive coordinator of Morrisville’s football team is still in the game.
Jason Bresnen will again help coach Bulldog players this year after he serves a two-game suspension, officials said.
He had been accused of telling his team he’d pay $100 to anyone who knocked a specific New Hope-Solebury player out of the game during New Hope’s 29-6 victory on Sept. 10.
The coach spoke to Morrisville residents during public comment at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
“I sincerely apologize to the borough, the district, the board about the allegations and any controversy that caused the town...(the comment) was taken out of context,” Bresnen said.
“We are going to give you a second chance,’’ said board President Bill Hellmann. “We got your back, but there’s no third chance.”
“I appreciate that,” Bresnen responded.
The meeting room wasn’t packed Wednesday night, in contrast to last week’s work session when Bresnen supporters asked the board to consider reinstating the coach. The board then decided to remove two items from Wednesday night’s agenda: the acceptance of Bresnen’s resignation and the appointment of a new assistant football coach.
Other than Bresnen’s brief comments, the issue wasn’t discussed Wednesday.
However, Hellmann said after the meeting that the school board met with Bresnen following last week’s work session. That night and the following day, the school directors decided to give Bresnen a second shot, Hellmann said.
“He seems like a nice guy,” he said.
School board solicitor Thomas Profy said Bresnen withdrew his resignation, and as a result, there was no need to discuss anything at the meeting.
The alleged incident took place during the second half of the game. Sideline officials made up of New Hope-Solebury parents who were working the yardage chains overheard a statement they reported to be from Bresnen, placing a $100 bounty on the head of a New Hope player. The parents working on the sidelines took the issue to New Hope-Solebury’s athletic department, which contacted Morrisville administrators on Sept. 12. Bresnen’s resignation followed on Sept. 14.
In an interview, Bresnen told the newspaper his version of events.
“I told them that if you continue to hit (the player) and gang tackle him, I’ll bet you $100 that we will wear him down,” he explained.
Jason Bresnen will again help coach Bulldog players this year after he serves a two-game suspension, officials said.
He had been accused of telling his team he’d pay $100 to anyone who knocked a specific New Hope-Solebury player out of the game during New Hope’s 29-6 victory on Sept. 10.
The coach spoke to Morrisville residents during public comment at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
“I sincerely apologize to the borough, the district, the board about the allegations and any controversy that caused the town...(the comment) was taken out of context,” Bresnen said.
“We are going to give you a second chance,’’ said board President Bill Hellmann. “We got your back, but there’s no third chance.”
“I appreciate that,” Bresnen responded.
The meeting room wasn’t packed Wednesday night, in contrast to last week’s work session when Bresnen supporters asked the board to consider reinstating the coach. The board then decided to remove two items from Wednesday night’s agenda: the acceptance of Bresnen’s resignation and the appointment of a new assistant football coach.
Other than Bresnen’s brief comments, the issue wasn’t discussed Wednesday.
However, Hellmann said after the meeting that the school board met with Bresnen following last week’s work session. That night and the following day, the school directors decided to give Bresnen a second shot, Hellmann said.
“He seems like a nice guy,” he said.
School board solicitor Thomas Profy said Bresnen withdrew his resignation, and as a result, there was no need to discuss anything at the meeting.
The alleged incident took place during the second half of the game. Sideline officials made up of New Hope-Solebury parents who were working the yardage chains overheard a statement they reported to be from Bresnen, placing a $100 bounty on the head of a New Hope player. The parents working on the sidelines took the issue to New Hope-Solebury’s athletic department, which contacted Morrisville administrators on Sept. 12. Bresnen’s resignation followed on Sept. 14.
In an interview, Bresnen told the newspaper his version of events.
“I told them that if you continue to hit (the player) and gang tackle him, I’ll bet you $100 that we will wear him down,” he explained.
5 comments:
Hellman might be a Pepsi guy, but his followers on the board all drink the Kool-Aid®
Make that Kool. The Aid was cut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HChzRB8h6LU
Bresnen's reinstatement leaves open questions
Morrisville has given up 30.3 points per game during its 0-4 start. Bad as the Bulldogs’ defense has been, the Morrisville school board’s defense of defensive coordinator Jason Bresnen looks far worse.
I underscore “looks.” I’ve never met Bresnen, I wasn’t at the controversial game with New Hope-Solebury on Sept. 10, and I don’t know with certainty what Bresnen said during that one-sided NH-S victory. Bresnen was overheard — by NH-S parents helping work the sidelines — to have allegedly offered $100 to any player who knocked a prominent NH-S player out of the game.
Bresnen knows exactly what Bresnen said. Upon resigning and through his reinstatement by the school board Wednesday night — after he serves a two-game suspension — the former Morrisville player with a solid community reputation insisted he didn’t say what the NH-S parents alleged, but instead, “I told (his players) that if you continue to hit and gang tackle (the NH-S player), I’ll bet you $100 we will wear him down.”
One would think that the NH-S parents making such serious accusations knew exactly what Bresnen said. Then again, the heat of battle can do strange things to adults on both sides. Maybe they twisted or misinterpreted what Bresnen said, and if so, Bresnen in my mind does deserve to have his D-coordinator job back.
Some might see the board’s reversal after the Morrisville administration’s basically forced resignation of Bresnen as a power sweep stampeding all ethical boundaries. Or, a deserving exoneration once Bresnen got a longer look. What’s clear is there’s a wide chasm regarding the matter between the Morrisville administration and the school board.
Given the choice by the administration to resign or be fired, Bresnen resigned only two days after the NH-S athletic department reported the incident. Some, including Morrisville sources, see that as an admission of guilt. Others could infer it as Morrisville caving to pressure from NH-S and forcing an innocent man to pay the price.
But it gets more curious when, two weeks after his resignation, Bresnen is reinstated by the same school board that, according to sources, hand-picked new head coach Bill Quill and his staff, including Bresnen.
Morrisville’s handling of the mess — exacerbated by the school board’s essentially throwing down a challenge flag — leaves a lot open to question. The core of it is this: If Bresnen indeed issued a bounty, and the school board either let it slide to protect their guy or bought his explanation while overriding corroborating evidence, reinstating Bresnen is a disturbing, dangerous and unacceptable message.
Had the administration’s investigation been too quick and incomplete, necessitating another look by the board?
“All the stuff about the administration didn’t investigate everything here? Completely, completely incorrect,” a source said, adding that some Morrisville people “on our sideline” said they heard what the NH-S parents said they had heard.
If Bresnen said what was alleged, you can bet some New Hope people are furious about the reinstatement. A “We got your back” comment by the Morrisville school board president to Bresnen in Wednesday’s meeting must’ve felt like a late hit, and the two-game suspension a wrist slap.
Or again, maybe Bresnen had been wrongly accused. Either way, hopefully the situation reminds everyone of what’s out of bounds in high school sports.
“We remain committed to three things: safety, sportsmanship-like conduct and healthy competition,” NH-S superintendent Dr. Raymond Boccuti said. “Whenever we believe that any of those are challenged, we have to take it in a very serious matter.
“(Bresnen’s) comment caused concern enough. So now there’s a difference in opinion on what was said ... When something like this happens, everyone needs to pull back and remind ourselves this is high school athletics.”
Wednesday to the board, Bresnen apologized for the furor while maintaining his sideline words were taken out of context.
“We gave him a second chance ... I and the board believe he is a good person,” Morrisville school board president Bill Hellmann e-mailed me. “I and the board believe his words in the heat of the game were taken out of context. I and the board do not believe he would intentionally tell his players to hurt anybody.
“The district administration did their investigation, made their recommendation and then the board made the final decision.”
Whether it was the right decision, well, only Jason Bresnen and maybe some New Hope-Solebury parents know for sure.
Dan Dunkin: ddunkin@phillyburbs.com; Twitter, @DanDunkin
Hellmann: We got your back.
Best Case Translation: Watch your back.
Most Likely Translation: You're a goner.
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