INFORMATION #1 10-21-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ELK RIVER, MINN. 'Soccer dad' cites a wrong Suit faults comments after confronting son BY HANNAH ALLAM Pioneer Press An Elk River, Minn., father accused of grabbing and yelling at his son during a game is suing the Minnesota .Youth: Soccer Association andothers, claiming his right to:.ffee Speech; Was vio- lated by other parents who said he should be banned from coach: ing. Eric Hawkins said a complaint brought to the association after he confronted his 10-year-old son during a game in May violates his free speech rights, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in fed- erai court in Minneapolis. Although association officials found accusations of verbal and physical abuse without merit, according to court papers, a hearing board decided that Hawkins violated conduct codes on inappropriate language and harassment of club players and coaches. Hawkins, 39, did not return a phone message seeking com- ment. Ellie Singer, .president of the Minnetonka-based associa- 'SOCCER DAD,' 5B NFORMATION 'Soccer dad' tion, said she has no informa- tion about the lawsuit and no comment. The conduct of parents and coaches has received national attention in cases where the pres- sure of youth sports resulted in physical harm and even murder. One of the most publicized instances was the January con- viction of a Massachusetts man in the beating death of his 10- year-old son's hockey coach. There are dozens of other reports of coaches attacking parents, par- ents attacking officials and play- ers attacking one another. ' Such instances leave many parents and players calling for a return to sportsmanship and the creation of complex ethics and eonduet codes for youth sports. The Minnesota Youth Soccer Association has an Il-point ethics code for coaches that includes the words, "Coaches shall refrain from all manner of personal abuse and harassment of others." Hawkins' case stems from a May 28 soccer game in which boys younger than 11 from the Elk River United Soccer Club played against their counter- parts from the Maplebrook Soc- cer Association. Hawkins coached the Elk River team, which included his son Jacob.. During a break in the game, Hawkins noticed Jacob break- ing an unspecified family rule that was not "related to the cur- rent game under way or related to the game of soccer in gener- al,'' Hawkins wrote in court papers. As players prepared for the second half, Hawkins warned his son that he wouldn't be allowed to play soccer if he broke the rule again. When Jacob looked away in disgust, according to court papers, Hawkins grabbed his son's shirt and twice asked, "Do you understand me?" As soon as the conversation ended, Tanya Peplinski, the Maplebrook coach, approached Hawkins, yelling, "That's physical abuse!" court papers state. Hawkins told Peplin- ski to mind her own business. The next month, Peplinski and the Maplebrook soccer board filed a complaint with the Minnesota Youth Soccer Associ- ation, accusing Hawkins of '%~er- bally abusing players, verbally abusing opposing coaches and physically assaulting a player." Peplinski, who could not be reached for comment, and the others asked for a lifetime coach- ing suspension for Hawkins. A subsequent letter from the association's hearing board found the most serious accusa- tions without merit, but stressed that, "the actions of grabbing a player's shirt, even if it is a relative, is an unwanted act during a game," according to court papers. Hawkins wrote that the accu- sations caused him "loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, embarrassment and injury to reputation." Hawkins didn't specify dam- ages. Hannah Allam can be reached at hallam@pionee¢press, com or (65I) 228-2172.