and some of us WVU folks were trying to say Rod was simply exaggerating or lying to give WVU as much bad press as possible...Here is a little more to the story...Amazing, isn't it?

Jackson


January 14, 2008
Principal disputes ex-WVU assistant's allegation
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sportswriter
MORGANTOWN - A Morgantown middle school administrator today disputed a report by former WVU defensive backs coach Tony Gibson that he hassled Gibson's 13-year-old son.

"It's a lie," said James Napolillo, principal of Suncrest Middle School. "I don't know why he would say such a thing."

Gibson is one of several WVU coaches who followed Rich Rodriguez to Michigan.

After Rodriguez's press conference there on Friday, Michigan reporters had the chance to interview his new assistants individually.

Gibson spoke about the bitterness of some WVU fans.

He was quoted in The Detroit News as saying: "My wife had to go into my son's school and talk to the principal because the principal was saying things to my 13-year-old son.

"I'm from there, my brother works in public service, and people say things. Where I'm from, it's a small town and they support my move. (West Virginia) is a place we need to stay out of for a while."

Gibson could not be reached for comment today.

Monongalia County Superintendent of Schools Frank Devono did not return a message.

However, Napolillo said he spoke with Devono on Sunday night about Gibson's allegation.

"He laughed," Napolillo said.

Napolillo said on the morning of Dec. 18, a day after the Gibson family appeared at Rodriguez's introductory press conference at Michigan, he and other employees at the school did tear apart a cardboard likeness of Rodriguez and throw the pieces in the garbage.

Napolillo said he and others were unhappy about Rodriguez's departure and wanted to get rid of the promotional cutout, which had been in the school's office for some time.

He said the standup cutout was not torn up in anger. Instead, the prinicipal said staff members had been joking about it.

He said that it hurt him to see Rodriguez leave because of their past relationship.

"I coached Rich in Pop Warner football and I have pictures of him all over the wall in my office," Napolillo said. "He even said one of the best influences in football was his Pop Warner coach and he named me. I had that on the wall, too. But I was upset as were many other fans."

Suncrest opened with a two-hour delay that day and Gibson's son returned to school. He entered the office in the afternoon.

"He said the kids were teasing him and he wanted to go home," Napolillo said. "We talked him into staying and, as a matter of fact, I said, 'Who is teasing you? Let me know and I'll go and tell them to stop.' He didn't want to tell me their names. We took it upon ourselves to keep him (in the office) all day because he was upset. To be honest, he was upset not because he was getting teased, but because he was leaving."

The next day, Napolillo said Gibson's wife, Kerry, came into the office.

Napolillo said she was concerned with the way her son was being treated in school and Napolillo again offered to speak with the kids causing trouble. He said he was never given any names.

Kerry then asked why Napolillo had torn apart the Rodriguez cutout and had the kids step on it.

"There was a two-hour delay that day, so there were no kids here to even see that. I'm not that stupid," Napolilo said. "I don't know where she got that from and I told her that was not true."

Napolillo has been at Suncrest for nine years and the principal for six. Of his 30 years in education, 19 have been spent as a principal.

"We're here for the safety and security of the kids," Napolillo said. "Regardless of what happens with parents, we never take it out on the kids. We're a national Blue Ribbon school and probably the top achieving school in the state of West Virginia. We're an honored school and we would never do something like that.

"Even though we're about 500 yards from the stadium, we would still never take anything like that out on the kids."

Napolillo said he has not heard from Tony Gibson. Gibson's son remains enrolled at Suncrest.

I had Napolillo in elementary school. He was our gym teacher at one point, vice principal, and I believe he taught half a year of 5th grade when another teacher left for a different school.

It sounds innocent enough, and much a do about nothing. But I'm sure none of the parties involved feel that way.

I told someone that all of these allegations just HAPPENED to pop up when RR found out he was going to have to go to court against West Virginia.

There is no doubt that a lot of these stories are being told to build up public sympathy for Rich Rodriguez in an attempt to influence his buyout case in court. I have to take the side of the school's principal in this particular story. Gibson could have mixed up some details from talking to his wife on the phone, since he is not even in West Virginia right now, or simply presented a worst case scenario in a way he thinks might assist his boss.

As for some of the other stories about Rodriguez family members being threatened that came out over the past few weeks ... well ... where are the police reports? If someone threatens me, I am either going kick their butt myself or else, if that is not a wise course of action, file a police report and let the proper authorities take care of the problem, but whining to the media is not one of the first things I would do. No sympathy from me.