SWR football coach to be reinstated effective Sept. 23
Shoreham-Wading River varsity football coach Aden Smith has been reinstated as the team’s head coach, according to the school’s superintendent and athletic director.
The reinstatement is effective Sept. 23, meaning Smith will miss the team’s third game this week at Southampton Friday night.
“We are proud of our team which is off to a great start this year,” a statement from Superintendent Gerard Poole and Athletic Director Mark Passamonte said Wednesday night. “We thank the assistant coaches who stepped up to lead the team until now and we look forward to a continued great season.”
Smith was removed as head coach pending an investigation of an incident that occurred during an Aug. 30 scrimmage at Islip High School. More than 20 players attended last week’s board of education meeting to come Smith’s defense, arguing the coach came to their aid when tensions escalated in the scrimmage, leading to a scuffle. The parents of an Islip student told Newsday that Smith had “grabbed” their son “in the neck area and started shaking him back and forth.”
The board of education held an executive session meeting Monday, one of several that have occurred since the incident. Following the meeting, board president Michael Lewis declined to comment and Mr. Poole, in a statement through a district spokesperson Tuesday, said there was no update on the coach’s situation.
The Wildcats have rolled to two convincing wins while Smith was sidelined, defeating Bayport-Blue Point and Port Jefferson. Virgil Romer became the interim coach in Smith’s absence.
This is Smith’s second season as varsity head coach. Last year, he led the Wildcats to the county championship before the team lost in the Long Island Championship.
The Wildcats opened the season as the No. 1 seed in Division IV.
