Boston.com, Michael Mancinelli
A week after being fired as the boys’ track and field coach at Westwood High School, Tom Davis is still in disbelief.
Davis, 24, of Newton, said that last Friday during team practice, Westwood High athletic director Karl Fogel confronted one of Davis’s runners for practicing without a shirt. Davis said he stepped in to defend his runner and Fogel went on a rant bumping Davis chest to chest while flailing his arms. Fogel, Davis said, suspended him from coaching.
Davis, also the cross-country and indoor track coach, went for a run to cool off and when he returned to the school, he was promptly fired and escorted off school property. He said he was never given an official explanation for termination or a chance to meet with school officials. He is currently seeking legal advice.
Westwood schools Superintendent John J. Antonucci said in a prepared statement, “I can assure you that Friday’s decision to relieve Mr. Davis of his duties was not the result of a single incident, but rather the regrettable outcome of an on-going discussion.’ Antonucci refused to comment further.
Davis denies there was an on-going discussion about anything. Two weeks ago, he said Fogel expressed to him that several members of Westwood’s girls’ track team were uncomfortable with boys running shirtless in practice on the same track. So Davis told his runners that if they didn’t wear shirts in practice, they risked being kicked off of the team.
A week later, he said one of his athletes came in from a run shirtless and Fogel confronted him. Davis said he then received an e-mail from Fogel saying that Fogel didn’t personally have a problem with the athletes running shirtless and that the issue was coming from Westwood High principal Emily Parks.
Davis says multiple requests for meetings with school officials to discuss the matter were ignored.
