BANGOR (AP) – A group of players and parents has come to the defense of the longtime coach of the Brewer High School softball team, who was fired after being accused of verbally abusing a former player.

Kelly Cookson, a three-time Penobscot Valley Conference coach of the year, was informed this month that she would not be rehired for the job she held for 14 years. The dismissal came three months after the school received notice of a $1 million tort claim by the family of former player Stacey Gomm.

Gomm claims she had been verbally abused, physically threatened and forced to walk through sheep feces at a team event held last spring to mark completion of “Boot Camp,” a week of intense practices and preseason games.

On advisement of attorneys and Brewer Superintendent of Schools Daniel Lee, parents and current and former players had kept silent about Gomm’s allegations. But after learning that Cookson would not be rehired, they said it was time to speak in her defense.

A group of 14 parents and and six current and former players has been circulating petitions on behalf of Cookson in the hope that her job can be saved, but some expressed skepticism about their prospects of success.

“It’s pretty much a done deal for coach Cookson … ,” Steve Quimby of Orrington, father of Brewer softball player Katie Quimby, told the Bangor Daily News. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

The allegations involving sheep feces arose after an April 22 team cookout was followed by a visit to the home of assistant coach Mike LaChance, where team members and some parents played with the sheep he owns.

The girls then removed their socks and shoes and walked through a pile of dirt and straw, and, as the claim states, sheep feces.

In pictures on the Brewer softball team Web site, www.brewersoftball.com, the girls are shown walking on a pile of what appears to be dirt and straw. Many of the girls are smiling. There are also photos of LaChance with his shoes off and standing on the pile. Cookson is shown standing on the pile, but she’s wearing shoes.

The claim by Gomm’s family says Cookson forced her to to walk barefoot and handle sheep feces and threatened that she would have to eat sheep feces. It also said Gomm suffered emotional distress from watching other team members go through the same thing.

Kate Hanlon, a captain on the 2005 team, said no one was forced to walk on the pile. The parents and players also contested the claim that players were threatened with having to eat sheep feces.

“It’s just a way to celebrate getting through that, have fun, relax after a hard week,” Hanlon said. “Going over to Mr. LaChance’s house is just something fun to do, something silly, and a way to relax after a week of hard work.”

Gomm’s attorney, Michael Harman of Millinocket, said Friday he stands by his client’s account of what happened on that day.

He also said the decision not to rehire Cookson is not tied to the settlement of the claiim.

“Our claim is for damages,” Harman said. “There’s nothing in the claim that asks school officials to do certain things. The claim’s not asking them to do anything in relation to employment of the coach.”

Some girls cast doubt on whether they would report for practice in March if Cookson is not reinstated.

“To be honest, if coach Cookson isn’t rehired and if someone who doesn’t respect the program isn’t hired, I’m not sure I want to play,” said senior Ashley Hawkins-Kimball. “I’ve always played in a program that has pushed me towards a goal … she has earned our respect and we give it to her.”

Cookson’s lawyer, Paul Chaiken of Bangor, said his client is considering all legal options regarding the loss of her job, including a claim for damages, a complaint to the Maine Human Rights Commission and a lawsuit.

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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-01-28-06 1032EST

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