You typically wouldn’t tie stock fraud, illegal gambling rings and high school baseball all together in the same train of thought, but that’s not the case in a story reported by the New York Daily News.

Gerard Bruzzese had been hired by Xaverian High School in 2002 to coach the freshman baseball team. Bruzzese was brought on despite an arrest,  conviction and a 1 year jail sentence stemming from involvement in a a stock-fraud scheme that had roots with Russian crime syndicates and the Columbo crime family.

Bruzesse’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, stated in his client’s defense that the crime in question was “a minor, white-collar case over a decade ago and they were only asking him to coach the baseball team part-time. All he did was teach kids how to hit, catch and throw a ball.”

The former high school baseball coach now finds himself involved in a probe by the Brooklyn District Attorney into the Luchese crime family, suspected of running a massive illegal gambling operation

Although not charged with any crimes, he has been tied to a person of interest in the case who was recorded speaking to Bruzzese about an illegal gambling website operated by the Luchese Family.

People may be divided on this one.  This man did make some bad decisions for himself, but ones not directly affecting his suitability to coach young students. 

After all, Mr. Bruzzese isn’t a sex offender nor does he have a history of violence.

However, a high school hiring an individual who had trafficked with violent underworld organizations? Granted he wasn’t operating as a hit man or enforcer, but I’m not sure I’d want someone making those type of personal decisions coaching my kids.

It’s a little bit of worst case scenario thinking but what’s not to say he wouldn’t be tempted to involve himself again for the promise of quick cash?  A wrong bet gets placed, maybe a “business arrangement” goes wrong, money is owed, the potential for something out of a Martin Scorcese movie arises, a high school baseball team is caught in the middle…no school wants that kind of nightmare or the bad press which goes along with it.

The nature of the crime may not have made him unfit to coach, but then again, repetition of “white collar crime” can have just as serious repercussions for the person and the people around them as much as one serious sex offense or violent crime.

Heated debate surrounds a bill being considered in the Utah state legislature that would require referees for public school athletic programs to undergo criminal background checks.

Heated debate surrounds a bill being considered in the Utah State Legislature which would require referees for public school athletic programs to undergo criminal background checks. The bill would apply to 1,700 public schools sports officials

The checks would consist of fingerprinting administered by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Investigations. It has not been decided yet if referees may end up paying for their own checks or whether it will be passed on to the school districts.

Utah Representative Laura Black contends that the law is a preventative measure which will ensure protection of students. Arguing that it would be foolish to wait for something bad to happen before acting, Black stated, “I’d rather see us be proactive on this.”

Not so fast, countered Representative Brad Dee who regards the bill as unnecessary, citing no previous incidents reported involving athetic program referees.

“Is this a solution to try and find a problem?” he asked.

Black fired back stating sports officials are in a position where the trust of the student is placed in their hands. The potential for an incident in which an individual with a criminal background is hired to work with youth could be significant.

And what do the referees themselves have to say about this?

Mick Fieldsted, who has worked for years as a baseball and football referee, said, “As an official, you are never left unattended with students at all. It’s a pretty guarded situation.”

True as that may be, Mr. Fieldstead can’t account for the lone student changing in the locker room or the student athlete walking alone to their car after a big game. Granted, the rule may be that the officials are never left unattended with students, but there are always exceptions

Who’s not to say someone might not be lurking in a parked car or loitering behind the grandstand after the big game waiting for the right moment to act on a selfish or peverse desire?

Does anyone remember the Titanic? The supposedly sink-proof ship that skimped out on lifeboats? Well, the unthinkable did happen and the results were pretty tragic.

While comparing background checks in Utah one of the worst naval disasters in history may be a bit much, it was the first analogy that came to mind. I think you get my point.

Furthermore, this is by no means an attempt to go looking for a problem that doesn’t exist. It’s a more of a sensible identification of a potential problem and heading it off before one our our children is harmed needlessly.