July 17, 2007
Skinner, Lowell AD, Statement on MacDonald
CHN Staff Report
The following is a public statement written by Massachusetts-Lowell athletic director Dana Skinner regarding the reinstatement of coach Blaise MacDonald to his position.
I am writing to provide some context relative the University's actions with regard to head hockey coach Blaise MacDonald and his recent case involving operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
It's no secret on campus that driving after drinking is an issue about which I have strong personal feelings. We sponsor the National Youth Sports Program, our student-athletes work with more than 10,000 young people annually, and our mission statement is Reaching Beyond the Games! In our environment, example is everything. So I had to go a ways to reach some level of balance when considering a response to this incident.
But I'm also mindful of the past 18 years in which I've come to know Blaise as one of the most disciplined people in our profession. I'm also mindful of his entire body of work at the University. The hockey program hasn't had a single disciplinary issue during his six years as coach, and they have been the highest achieving male academic team in the department, achieving a team GPA over the past two years over a 3.0. He has effectively mentored hundreds of student-athletes.
I don't know what led to the events of his arrest, but his actions that night were not characteristic of the Blaise MacDonald I've come to know. He made a significant error in judgment, and the University had to put a process in place to respond to the situation.
Last Friday, Coach MacDonald voluntarily met with Chancellor Marty Meehan and me to apologize and accept full responsibility for his actions. His willingness to step forward and admit his mistake in court was the next important step and went a long ways toward resolving this matter.
Coach MacDonald was suspended from the University immediately upon learning of the charge-and this was the harshest penalty we could assess, given the coach's union contract. He has now willingly accepted all sanctions set by the University. His suspension from the University will be extended until next Monday; he will participate in alcohol education programs on campus; and he has offered to make a voluntary financial contribution the University's National Youth Sports Program's alcohol education program.
It is our intent now to move forward and return to the work of re-energizing the hockey program.
Mr. Skinner,
I think that you have reached an unfortunate conclusion. I think that it would be fair to allow Blaise to continue as coach of the Riverhawks hockey team but I think that your intent moving forward should involve his continuing dedication to ensuring that this kind of lapse in judgment is not committed by others - especially students in yours or any other college community.
To ensure this I would hope to see Blaise speak about the causes of this lapse so that it can be avoided by others. I would also hope that a substantial amount of his energy would be devoted, indefinitely, to re-energizing the fight against impaired driving.
Sincerely,
Ken Cutting
Jul 18 2007, 1:02 pm by Ken Cutting, Concord, NH
