C.B. West assistants defend fired head coach

Three assistant football coaches at Central Bucks High School West lashed out Wednesday at the decision to fire head coach Brian Hensel, defending him and disputing the district administration's claim that they would not sign a code of conduct.

One of the coaches, Dan Pfeiffer, said that the first time he saw the coaches' code of conduct was Oct. 16, the day after the Central Bucks School District launched a probe into the hazing of rookies this summer at a football team picnic.

Pfeiffer said that he had been given the form to review, but that within a week, the hazing incident exploded into a full-blown scandal, the remainder of the football season was canceled, and the coaching staff was suspended.

"At that time, some coaches did sign it," he wrote in an e-mail. "Others never got the chance because, a week later, the season was canceled."

Hensel, who coached the Bucks for six seasons, was ousted Tuesday from his coaching post, but allowed to keep his job teaching chemistry at the Doylestown school.

In announcing the firing, Superintendent David Weitzel accused the head coach and his staff of failing to supervise students and refusing to sign the code. He portrayed the coaches as rogue agents who were the only ones in the district refusing to sign the document.

"This repeated refusal to sign the coaches code of conduct reflected their unwillingness to follow feedback and direction from the Central Bucks High School West administration," he said in the letter to the community.

Besides relieving Hensel - whom Weitzel said administrators had spoken to three times since January about supervision of athletes, team-building activities, and the code requirement - the superintendent lifted suspensions against the assistant coaches, but said their future with the program was uncertain.

Weitzel and School Board President Paul Faulkner did not return calls and e-mails for clarification Wednesday. Hensel and his attorney also did not respond.

Assistant coach Frank Pacifico said he had heard that a few coaches had been approached at the beginning of the season about the code, but that "most of the coaches never were asked to sign it."

"It was really vague. With all the other criteria and paperwork we have to submit, it's very black and white. We all run around and get it done because we know there's a specific date" it has to be submitted, he said in an interview. "If we refused to sign a code of conduct, would we have even been allowed to coach?"

Pfeiffer pointed out that the school district's own website lists the forms or clearances required to coach at Central Bucks West. The conduct code was not among them.

"The bottom line is," Pacifico wrote, "there weren't coaches saying, 'Oh, we're not signing the code of conduct.' "

The assistants praised Hensel and disputed Weitzel's assertion that lack of supervision led to a fight between two students during the last game of the season.

Pfeiffer said that there had been a heated argument at an away game and that two coaches were in the locker room. One coach saw the disagreement, but the players ended it themselves.

The incident was reported to the head coach, he said, and was addressed the following Monday.

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