Sexually Inappropriate Comments 'Commonplace' From Coach: Reports

WILMETTE, IL — Police records show the investigation that led to the firing of longtime North Shore girls soccer coach Craig Snower from his positions with Loyola Academy and another suburban club began with a report from the family of a player who quit the school team because of being subjected to inappropriate sexual comments. Snower allegedly said some players were only on the field because of their attractive mothers, discussed the sex lives of the teenage girls he coached and kept a "hot moms list" and pornography on his phone, according to records of an investigation by Wilmette and Glenview police into his conduct.

School staff told police they had previously gotten complaints about Snower for his yelling and cursing at girls while playing. Some parents had previously expressed concerns to staff their daughters were not comfortable being around Snower during his 14 years in charge of the team, but they "never provided specific complaints," Loyola Athletic Director Pat Mahoney told Wilmette detectives.

Loyola Academy Principal Kathryn Baal and President Pat McGrath received reports of sexual comments by Snower on May 7, according to a Wilmette police report. On May 9 and 10, Baal spoke with five players who gave accounts of inappropriate sexual comments made by Snower toward them or their teammates. Mahoney and Baal spoke with the school's attorney, who advised them "not to speak with any more students" and to fire Snower immediately.

Around 2 p.m. on May 10, Baal and Mahoney spoke with Snower. They informed him he had been terminated and advised him to resign from FC United or they would release the findings of their investigation to the club. Snower did not agree to resign from FC United at that meeting, but the principal was told he resigned on May 11 and Snower was no longer listed on the organization's website two days later, according to police.

FC United did not respond to questions about whether Loyola shared any such findings or whether the club previously received complaints about sexually inappropriate comments by its girls soccer director. Mahoney has not responded to a query about previous complaints about Snower.

Detectives spoke with players on the girls soccer team on May 14, and later that day the school announced there had been "several confidential complaints alleging inappropriate or offensive comments" made by Snower to members of the team.

None of the students who spoke to police as part of the investigation described any inappropriate physical touching or any inappropriate electronic communications from Snower. No criminal charges have been filed against him. According to the police reports, Snower suggested at an April 19 game in Barrington, he would never get in trouble for his comments because he never made physical contact with the players.

When police shared portions of a report from the Department of Children and Family Services with Snower's assistant coaches, one began to cry. The other's eyes welled up and turned red, according to police. His assistant told investigators no students had ever reported any inappropriate comments or contact.

Players put up with the behavior because even though Snower, 44, was a "creepy guy" and a "strange man" with boundary issues – described by one player as developmentally "stuck" at 14 years old – the girls on his teams were concerned he might bench them, police were told. Some of his players reportedly worried he would not help out with college recruitment if they reported his conduct. Others brushed off it off as poor attempts at humor or to befriend his players, girls told investigators. One told detectives Snower would say the worst things to less skillful players because they wanted playing time enough to tolerate the verbal abuse.

One player told police the inappropriate comments from Snower were commonplace, and he would receive "pity laughs" because players suspected that "if you gave Craig attention, you would get more playing time," according to the reports. Snower's behavior had worsened during the 2018 season, police were told.

According to Wilmette police reports, there was only one girl interviewed by investigators who said she never heard Snower make a sexually explicit comment. She explained "not everyone may understand his sense of humor" and it was "possible a joke was taken out of context" or that some people may dislike him because of all of his yelling and swearing while coaching, police reported. That student described him as a great coach and an "awesome guy."

Allegations against Snower from Loyola players who spoke to Wilmette and Glenview detectives, according to police reports:

• Called some players "c---" and "f-----", referred to one player's "bra size" and asked "if she parties and whether she is a 'slut.'"
• Compiled what players called a "Hot Moms List" and commented on the bodies of his players' parents.
• Asked a group if players if he should kick a girl "in the vagina" for interrupting him.
• Told one girl "I always wanted to say that to you," after telling starters to take off their clothes – referring to warm-up gear – and told another she must be used to being in that "position" while warming up on her knees.
• Targeted some players for verbal attacks, in one case becoming so upset a witness reported being concerned he would strike one of his teenage players.
• Commented on players bodies, including the levels of "cellulite" on their buttocks and thighs.
• Referred to a ball as being as "flat" as one of his players.
• Commented about lesbians and players rumored to be homosexual, saying one was "not used to having balls thrown at her chest."
• Told players if no one was around he would have them play "shirts versus skins."
• Had pornography on his phone that a student encountered, and explained to players at a practice that he liked small breasts.

Snower, a Deerfield resident, had coached Loyola's varsity girls' team since 2004 and had been the director of the girls soccer program at FC United, a Glenview-based club since 2011.

Police reports indicate Snower's behavior was worse at FC United than at Loyola Academy. One player told police she felt he had to be more careful around staff and assistant coaches at the school. The suburban soccer club rents fields the school owns in Glenview, according to the reports.

A previous statement from FC United declared Snower is "no longer affiliated" with the club, saying it was "aware of the situation at Loyola." It has not responded to queries about when and how it became aware of the claims of inappropriate conduct by Snower.

Snower's mother, who runs the industrial distribution business where he works, told WMAQ in May that the family was "distressed" by the situation and that Snower would not be commenting on the allegations lodged against him.

The mother of one of Snower's former players told the station he had asked her daughter "inappropriate questions about her undergarments. He asked her if she had a boyfriend and what she did with her boyfriend," and wanted her to sit on his lap while discussing her performance.

Snower is the operations manager and a third-generation member of a Glenview-based family business. He has been coached youth soccer since 2003, including at New Trier High School, from which he graduated in 1992. He was awarded the Illinois High School Soccer Coach of the Year award in 2012, and he was named competitive coach of the year in December 2017 by the Illinois Youth Soccer Association.

The ex-coach referred media queries to his lawyer, former federal prosecutor and white collar defense attorney Susan Bogart. She declined to comment on the allegations in May, saying there would be "plenty to say at the appropriate time."

Earlier: Loyola Girls Soccer Coach Fired Over Comments To Players »