Jerry Devine dismissed as Neshaminy basketball coach (VIDEO)
LANGHORNE – Long-time Neshaminy boys varsity basketball coach Jerry Devine has been dismissed.
The decision was handed down at a Neshaminy School Board Meeting Tuesday night (Jan. 26).
Neshaminy School District spokesman Donald Harm confirmed in a telephone interview Wednesday morning that Devine had been dismissed from his position as coach.
Devine had been suspended from his coaching duties since making contact – some said it was a head butt – with an official after disagreeing with a call delivered by the referee late in a close battle with Suburban One League (SOL) rival Pennsbury, a Jan. 5 contest that was won by the Falcons.
The coach – who is also a teacher at the high school – was permitted to return to the classroom on Jan. 12. He’s taught in the district for 15 years and was the basketball coach for 10, guiding the boys varsity team to a 1-7 record this season.
Devine’s troubles aren’t completely over yet. On Jan. 13, Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler announced that the prosecutor’s office was recommending the violation after an investigation by Middletown Township Police.
The prosecutor said the summary count is punishable by a jail sentence of up to 90 days and a fine not to exceed $300 but added that he does not expect any jail time.
What it means is that Devine won’t face a more serious charge of misdemeanor simple assault. The harassment charge is tantamount to being issued a traffic ticket. Deputy District Attorney Matt Lannetti has been assigned to prosecute the case, should Devine request a hearing on the charge.
Devine was ejected from the game after confronting the referee while protesting an offensive foul call made during that evening’s battle between Neshaminy and Pennsbury.
Video seen on the WBCB 1490 AM radio website seemed to show the coach chest-thumping the official. However, film footage seen from the side-angle and that seen on many television news stations in the Delaware Valley, showed that perhaps more aggression was shown by the coach. Some said it looked more like a head-butt.
The incident is also under review by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), the state agency that governs scholastic sports in Pennsylvania. At the time of the incident, Melissa Mertz, associate executive director of the PIAA, reported that the state agency was awaiting a report from the school district regarding its findings and any subsequent disciplinary actions taken.
The District One Committee, which oversees scholastic sports in Southeastern Pennsylvania, will look at the Neshaminy report and determine if any further action is necessary. If the D-1 Committee is not satisfied with the actions taken by the school district, it can convene a hearing of its own and hand down penalties in accordance with Article XIII, Section 9 of the PIAA by-laws.
Those by-laws state that: “A coach who intentionally strikes, bites or kicks a contestant, coach, an official or any other person in attendance at the contest … shall be disqualified by the Regional Panel or District Committee … for a period of not less than one year from the date of either the incident leading to the suspension or the date of the hearing to consider the matter.”
Athletic Director Tom Magdelinskas appointed varsity assistant John Mason interim coach in Devine’s absence on Jan. 6 as the Redskins had a road game with SOL Continental conference rival Pennridge that evening in Perkasie.
There’s been no word yet on whether or not Mason, who has guided the team to a 2-3 record in the SOL, will be given the position on a more permanent basis.
Contact the author at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
