Coaches applaud court's decision

Most high school coaches don't feel like public officials, but they certainly feel like public servants.

That's why many are applauding a decision by the Utah Supreme Court Tuesday that says high school coaches are not public officials.

"Educators and coaches spend a tremendous amount of time trying to help kids," said Hurricane High volleyball coach Dan McKeehan, who also teaches AP government and world history. "It's just not right that one percent of the parents try to crucify them. ... I just think it's a great thing. Now coaches and teachers don't have to stand for that kind of treatment."

The teacher/coach who brought the defamation suit three years ago against more than two dozen people who accused him of verbal abuse and mismanaging funds, among others, in order to get him fired, said part of the reason he brought the suit was to send a message to parents.

"Obviously it's been a long time," Michael O'Connor said about the decision. "I'm pretty happy, but not just for myself. For coaches and teachers everywhere, this is a good decision."

O'Connor and attorney Joseph Rust said this decision will not impact the ability of parents to take legitimate complaints to school administrators. It just gives coaches recourse when attacks include allegations that are not true and hurt a coach's reputation, as O'Connor asserts in his case. If the court had ruled prep coaches were public officials, the offended coach would have to prove the statements were made with malicious intent, a much higher standard.

"Now maybe there will be some second thoughts before people go overboard," O'Connor said.

The bottom line, says O'Connor, a physical education teacher who still coaches golf at Lehi High, is that high school coaches, most of whom are also teachers, are doing a tough job, for very little money because they love the student-athletes.

"We're all trying to do the very best we can," O'Connor said. "This gives us a chance to do what we've been trained to do. We don't go into their professions and second-guess them or tell them what to do. We need to be able to do what we've been trained to do."

Many of the coaches contacted by the Deseret Morning News in the wake of the decision said they were unaware of the issue but are glad to know the high court sees them as private citizens.

One of the state's most well-known coaches is Skyline football coach Roger Dupaix, and while he's occasionally been recognized by an Eagles fan, he said most of the time he teaches a game he loves in relative obscurity.