Elida board hears more on coach allegations

ELIDA — Talk of the alleged inappropriate behavior by Elida's head football coach and how it has been handled by the superintendent and school board continued at Tuesday's school board meeting.

“I have a huge problem with the blasé attitude that Mr. [Don] Diglia and the board have taken on Mr. [Jason] Carpenter's actions,” resident Tracy McDonnell said. “It sickens me that when alerted to the fact that Mrs. [Kimbra] Maag was upset by this, the board brushed it off.”

About 70 people attended Tuesday's school board meeting, more than half of them filing in just before the meeting began and then standing and applauding after McDonnell spoke.

Kimbra Maag attended last week's board organizational meeting, calling for Diglia and board members Dennis Fricke, Brenda Stocker and Sally Ulrich to resign.

“I think the fact that neither Diglia or Carpenter have been honest or forthright on this situation is grounds for their removal,” McDonnell reiterated Tuesday.

Maag has accused head football coach Jason Carpenter of making an inappropriate comment and gesture to her son, Elida senior Brandon Maag.

Carpenter and Diglia both said the incident did not happen. The Allen County Sheriff's Office investigated and said the same.

“As far as I am concerned, it didn't happen and I am done commenting on it,” Diglia said.

Board Vice President Sally Ulrich, who ran Tuesday's meeting, said the same.

“The investigation was done, Don investigated, the sheriff and the prosecutor investigated, so we feel it is done,” she said.

Brandon Maag was one of the four Elida High School students to rob a pizza deliveryman in November 2010. The teenagers pulled a gun and ordered the pizza deliveryman to drop the food. The gun was later found to be an Airsoft gun made to appear like a real gun. Brandon Maag was sentenced to the local treatment facility.

Kimbra Maag said that in March, while Brandon Maag was face down stretching in the weight room, Carpenter straddled him, made a humping motion and asked if “this is what big Bubba did” to him while in the juvenile detention center. She also said her son received a text message from Carpenter, swearing at him for what he did to the football program.

Kimbra Maag said she found out about the incident from other parents in October. She filed a report with the Sheriff's Office and Prosecutor's Office. The Lima News previously looked into the claim and was told by the Sheriff's Office that the complaint was invalid.

McDonnell presented a packet of information to the board, including statements from Brandon Maag and two witnesses, saying the incident occurred. One witness said he saw the gesture, but did not hear the comment. The packet also included what appeared to be a copy of the text message.

Chief Deputy Jim Everett, of the Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday night that additional information was brought to the office last week. After looking at the information, it was determined that it was identical to the original allegations. The office cannot find any truth to the allegations. The case remains closed, he said.

Diglia said he investigated the complaint and talked to Carpenter, Brandon Maag, a witness and an assistant coach. There was no basis to the complaint, he said.

McDonnell told the board the return of the students to school could have been handled differently and the students could have been welcomed back and had a “chance for redemption.”

While Brandon Maag was ineligible to play football this year because of the robbery, Diglia said Carpenter asked if he could lift weights with the other players and be as much a part of the team as possible. Diglia gave his OK.

Carpenter told The Lima News last week that he was saddened by the situation and that he believes Kimbra Maag is upset because her son was not permitted to play. The decision did not come from Carpenter, but is board policy.

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