WB_052319

wilmettebeacon.com NEWS
the wilmette beacon | May 23, 2019 | 3
Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 12 days ago
Fired soccer coach sues Loyola Academy for false accusations, defamation
Michal Dwojak
Contributing Sports Editor
Craig Snower, the former
Loyola Academy girls
soccer coach, is suing the
Wilmette school for more
than $250,000 in damages,
according to a lawsuit
filed Thursday, May 9, in
the Cook County Circuit
Court.
In the lawsuit, Snower
seeks to recover damages
as a result of Loyola’s actions
in his firing based on
“false, unfound, unsubstantiated”
accusations of
sexual misconduct, recklessly
and without reasonable
cause reporting him to
the police and the Department
of Children and Family
Services, defaming him
in his professional reputation
as a coach, while also
“tortiously interfering with
his contractual relationship
with FC United Soccer
Club.”
In his suit filed by attorney
Susan Bogart, Snower
claims he has “hundreds
of soccer players who attribute
their success to his
rigorous coaching” and
that each of them can attest
Snower has not made inappropriate
sexual comments
at any time during the years
he coached them.
The lawsuit comes over
a year after the school fired
Snower on May 10, 2018,
over allegations of inappropriate
or offensive comments
toward team members.
Snower had been the
coach for the program since
2004.
According to the suit,
former Loyola principal
Kathryn Baal and thenathletic
director Patrick
Mahoney met with Snower
and told him he was fired,
citing complaints from students
and parents, whom
Loyola refused to identify.
Baal provided two examples;
the first being Snower
fielded two teams to scrimmage,
one called “virgins”
and the other “non-virgins.”
Snower called the allegation
a rumor that circulated
eight years before involving
an FC United team.
The second allegation
was that Snower asked
what a player would do if
he touched her butt, a claim
Snower again denied as
a rumor circulated from
an FC United team, not a
Loyola team.
According to the suit,
Snower was not given a
chance to defend himself
and Baal said she wanted
him to resign from FC
United because of the
amount of Loyola students
competing with the club.
Snower claimed there were
no Loyola students on his
teams, let alone high school
students, to which Baal allegedly
responded said
she’d tell the club “what we
have on you.”
Mahoney and Baal allegedly
met with the girls
varsity soccer players after
their meeting with Snower,
where they told the players
Snower had been fired and
apologized for not acting
sooner.
Later that night, Baal allegedly
reported Snower
to the DCFS with “malice
and reckless disregard
to the truth” that he made
“outrageous, suggestive
comments” and other false
statements to five players.
Snower claims he was
never given a chance to respond
to.
The next day, Snower
met with Chad Gruen,
owner and president SMP
— FC United’s parent company
— who allegedly told
Snower he had no choice
but to let him go.
As The Beacon first reported,
players met with
Wilmette and Glenview
police departments, where
players commented on how
Snower was a vulgar bully
Craig Snower, the former varsity girls soccer coach at
Loyola Academy, was fired in May 2018. 22nd Century
Media File Photo
and tyrant who maintained
a “hot moms list,” told a
player he would kick her
“in the vagina” and constantly
commented on
players’ chest sizes. The
suit claims that while some
players asserted Snower
made the comments, other
players on the team made
the comments.
Because of this, Snower
claimed in the suit that
Loyola defamed him, lowered
his reputation in the
eyes of parents, players and
the greater soccer community,
which caused and deterred
others from associating
with him.
Snower also claimed the
accusations caused the Illinois
Youth Soccer Association
to disqualify him from
all Illinois Youth Soccerrelated
activities.
Neither Loyola Academy
nor Snower’s representatives
could be reached for
comment as of press time.
Wilmette Village Board
Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 7 days ago
Outgoing trustees bid farewell; new members begin service
Todd Marver
Freelance Reporter
The Wilmette Village
Board welcomed two new
trustees, while also bidding
farewell to a pair of outgoing
trustees at its Tuesday,
May 14 meeting.
Julie Wolf was elected
trustee in April 2011. She
served as the chair of the
board’s Administration
Committee and also served
on the Public Safety and
Municipal Services Committees.
Prior to her service
as trustee, she served on
the Streetscape Committee
from 1996-2001, the
Public Art Committee from
2002-2003 and the Appearance
Review Commission
from 2004-2009. She was
also involved in the Sheridan
Road beautification
effort from 2008-2009 and
she currently serves on the
board of directors of Housing
Own Our Wilmette.
Wolf will continue her service
to the Village as chair
of the Environmental and
Energy Commission.
“I’ve commented to everyone
how well-balanced
the board is,” Wolf said.
“We don’t always agree
but we find a way to work
together. It really has been
a pleasure working with all
of you. The new board will
be very strong and you’ll
be able to continue some of
the initiatives that are helping
the Village so much.”
Village President Bob
Bielinski and Wolf began
their service on the Village
Board together in 2011
when they were both elected
trustee.
“There’s sort of a certain
special thing for me
because you and I have
served the whole time and
I still remember some of
the coffees that we attended
together as a candidate
and the like,” Bielinski
said. “Thank you for your
ROUND IT UP
A brief recap of Village Board action from May 14
• Finance Director Melinda Molloy presented the first quarter financial update.
• The board committee assignments were approved.
• The board approved the recommendation of appointment of outgoing trustee
Julie Wolf to the Environmental and Energy Commission from May 28, 2019-
May 28, 2022. Wolf will be appointed to the role of chair of the commission at
the board’s May 28 meeting.
friendship and thank you
for your service and thank
you for your continued service
to our community.”
George Pearce was appointed
as trustee in May
2018 upon former trustee
Stephen Leonard’s resignation.
Pearce served on the
Zoning Board of Appeals
from 1993-1997, Village
Trustee from 1997-2005
and Board of Police and
Fire Commissioners from
2005-2014. Additionally
Pearce assisted the Village
in the creation of Housing
Our Own Wilmette
and served as president of
the Rotary Club of Wilmette
Harbor. During this
past year on the board, he
served as the chair of the
Land Use Committee and
also served on the Finance
and Judiciary Committees.
Please see Village, 12