Player Files Assault Charges Against Coach After Charity Game

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — An injured Tottenville High School football player has filed criminal complaints alleging that a hotheaded Catholic high school coach got into a shoving match with him Friday night, sparking an all-out locker-room melee that left the teen with stitches over his eye.

According to students and athletic officials who were present during the incident and spoke on condition of anonymity, three Tottenville players — junior Niheem Chavis, junior Kenny Coughlin and senior Shaban Shatku — who were on a strict curfew in preparation for a PSAL city playoff semifinal matchup slated for Saturday at noon — followed the Moore Mavericks into the locker room so they could get their belongings and go home.

Moore’s head coach, Greg Rocco, proceeded to dress down his squad for what he considered a subpar showing, those sources said.

The trio waited for a lull in Rocco’s tirade, then tried to slip toward the exit.

But apparently they weren’t quick enough: Rocco transferred his wrath, screaming at the Pirate players to get out of the locker room, sources said.

Chavis told police that in the ensuing back-and-forth, Rocco put his hands on Chavis and shoved him, according to an NYPD spokesman.

Chavis reacted by taking a swing at Rocco, according to sources familiar with the incident, but didn’t connect. That’s when several members of the Moore team pounced on Chavis, those sources said. The melee left Chavis with a gash over his right eye and Coughlin and Shatku with contusions.

Police arrived at the scene not long after.

Chavis was taken to the emergency room at Staten Island University Hospital, Prince’s Bay, where he needed three stitches.

Chavis filed two complaints in the aftermath, according to police — one against Rocco for harassment, the second for assault. Police said the teen could not identify specifically who injured him, and the harassment complaint has been closed because a police officer did not witness the alleged harassment.

Tottenville’s Coach Munson says no questions on incident After Tottenville’s loss to Fort Hamilton on Saturday, Pirates coach Jim Munson instructed his team not to speak to the media about an incident allegedly between his player Niheem Chavis (#30) and Moore Catholic coach Greg Rocco on Friday night at a charity game. Watch video

“We have communicated, as appropriate, with representatives from Tottenville,” said Rich Postiglione, Moore’s athletic director, who said he’d discussed the matter with Principal Douglas McManus and Tottenville football coach Jim Munson. “The school is doing everything it needs to be doing at this time,” Postiglione said.

All three Tottenville players were able to play Saturday afternoon against Fort Hamilton, but the third-seeded Pirates came up on the short end of the 34-14 score.

It’s not yet clear whether any legal or disciplinary action will be taken by either police or school officials regarding the matter.

After the game, Rocco sought to play down his involvement in the fracas. “I guess you could call it an altercation,” he told the Advance, “but it was squashed. … I don’t know the facts, so I can’t comment on it.”

But the New York Post had quoted Rocco as saying, “I was trying to get kids out — not using any force. … Things got heated on [Chavis’] end … not everything is as it seems. To me it was a safety issue, not knowing who was in the locker room.”

Rocco could not be reached for further comment last night. Munson similarly declined comment, and sources said both had instructed their teams not to discuss the incident.

Chavis’ mother, Keisha Chavis, told the Post she wants Rocco held accountable. “It was a rough-up — it was a grab-push,” she said. “If we as parents do that, it would be called abuse. … He had no right in saying anything to those kids. He should have been able to control himself.”

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