RMHS Substance Abuse Policy: The A.D.'s Side of the Story, Part 1 of 2

The following is the first edition of a two-part article based on an interview with Athletic Director, Phil Vaccaro.

Part 1: RMHS Substance Abuse Policy, Do Elite Athletes Get 'Swept Under The Rug?'

A recent event in which has sparked heated discussion in the of Reading Patch as to where the blame lies in regards to Reading's alleged "drug problem."

One man who has come under fire is Reading's long-time Athletic Director, Phil Vaccaro.

Vaccaro has been accused by Patch readers of "letting things go" and giving "slaps on the wrists" when a star athlete is involved in a drug-related incident – all to maintain the school's reputation of athletic excellence by keeping elite athletes in the game.

"The AD's feet should definitely be held to the fire. He has let too much go for too long concerning the athletes and some of their so called influential parents," said Reading Patch member 'Steve.'

"The AD makes ridiculous concessions and arrangements, particularly for kids who have the potential to bring him some type of athletic glory. He needs to be removed immediately and replaced with someone who understands the danger of letting violence and drug use continue with no consequences for the elite Reading athletes," added Reading Patch member 'vaccaro_resign.'

According to Vaccaro, 's policy is that when a student athlete commits a chemical health violation, he or she misses 25% of the season (but can still attend practices). If the student violates policy again, 60% of the season is taken away, and the student must also take a course on substance abuse.

Vaccaro claims the punishment is the same for every student, regardless of athletic prowess.

"It’s a cut and dry situation, either you drank or you didn’t, and if the police say you did, then you serve the penalty," he said.

"I know people say 'oh, he’s a football player, so we’re going to let him go', or 'he’s our best hockey player and we’re going to let him go.' That’s a perception out there that I don’t know where it came from. To my knowledge, I have never let a kid off the hook intentionally. Somebody may have got by me on some technicality, but to my knowledge, and without bringing up names, we’ve had star athletes, just last year for instance, who had violations, and they sat out their games."

Vaccaro says it is his responsibility to impose the penalty when the police report to the principal, and the principal subsequently reports to him, regarding a violation.

When asked if he puts winning first when it comes to making decisions regarding a student athlete's punishments, he said there is no evidence that cheating in the name of winning is a philosophy Reading Athletics advocates.

"The great John Wooden said ‘winning is a byproduct of doing things right.’ Why do people think we win by doing things wrong? It doesn’t make sense. If you lie, cheat, and steal, and you’re doing things wrong, you’re going to be a loser," said Vaccaro.

"We’re winning because we do things right. We’re winning because I have all these sportsmanship plaques hanging up. We’re winning because our kids are winning essay contests about sportsmanship. We’re winning because our students are doing anti-bullying videos."

When you walk into the athletic office at the high school, or into the Hawkes Field House, you do not see championship banners, but instead All-Scholastic and Sportsmanship Awards, and, according to Vaccaro, that is something done intentionally in order to represent the school's values.

"For those who say we win because we cheat and do things wrong and hide athletes who have violations, I say to them a couple things. One, don’t just go out there and say it, show me. Tell me who we let go. Secondly, tell me how we promote winning over sportsmanship and character. There is nothing out there that shows that. You tell me what we do here that advocates that winning is the most important thing," said Vaccaro.

Vaccaro keeps championship trophies in a separate room attached to the athletic office, and says this is because he doesn't want championships to 'hit people in the face' when stepping into the office, and for safe keeping.

"I don’t want anything to happen to them because they are the end product of doing what’s right. We didn’t cheat to get any of those championships," he said.

Phil Vaccaro invites anyone who would like to talk to him in regards to this article to call the RMHS Athletic Office at 781-942-9122.