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An Oregon high school football coach will not be returning to the team for the 2020 season and he said it is because of his position with the Portland Police Bureau.
Ken Duilio is a sergeant with the Portland Police Bureau and a 20-year veteran of the gang enforcement team. He was told last week his contract as Cleveland High School’s football coach was not going to be renewed for the next season, Oregon Live reported.
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Duilio told the newspaper he believed it was because of his job in law enforcement.
He said his position at the school began to come under fire in late June when fliers began to circulate with his face on it and incidents he was involved in as a police officer. The fliers mentioned two incidents involving Duilio from 2001. One was related to an assault by gang-affiliated members and the other was the shooting of Bruce Browne, which led to a $200,000 settlement by the department.
According to Oregon Live, Duilio was asked by the district to talk about the incidents. He said the district told him they “didn’t see a path moving forward because of pressure they’re getting” and he was asked to resign. Duilio declined. He was asked to resign one more time before he was told his contract would not be renewed.
“It’s unjust, from whoever is leading this,” he said. “[Portland Public Schools] still had a role in it. They could have stood up to them.”
Duilio said he was unsure whether he would coach again.
“I’m at a loss for words, frankly,” he said. “I love working with kids. Potentially, someday I’ll be back. I was committed to the PIL and PPS and city of Portland. It ties into what I do.”
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Portland Public Schools athletic director Marshall Haskins told Oregon Live that the district “chose to go in a different direction” at Cleveland High School. Haskins added that there was no external pressure from any outside groups to fire Duilio.
“We don’t make decisions based on pressure from parents or outside people,” he said.
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