St. Michael’s coach on leave during investigation
School investigating claims Rodriguez verbally abused players and was racially insensitive toward one
St. Michael’s boys basketball coach David Rodriguez has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation in which an undisclosed number of parents have accused him of verbal abuse and a former player’s family accused him of racism.
Rodriguez was informed of the school’s decision Friday, but the team’s players didn’t find out until 90 minutes before tipoff of Saturday’s 11 a.m. contest against Robertson at Perez-Shelley Memorial Gymnasium, a game the Horsemen won in overtime, 61-57, after trailing by 18 in the second half.
The players were reportedly told Rodriguez was taking a “leave of absence” by school administrators. When reached for comment, the coach said he could not disclose the details of the investigation but did offer one bit of feedback about the wording of his situation.
“I am well, I am not sick and I did not take a leave of absence,” Rodriguez said. “We’ll see what comes next.”
St. Michael’s president Tom Coughlan did not respond to a phone call but texted a brief statement after Saturday’s game: “Yes. I can confirm Coach Rodriguez is on administrative leave.”
There is no timetable for the investigation and few details have emerged about the allegations surrounding Rodriguez. Those involved have been instructed not to discuss the matter publicly.
The off-court issues began to surface long before the current season began. Accusations by the family of a former player suggest Rodriguez may have been racially insensitive in his treatment of that player. That player has since transferred to another school.
Rodriguez was unable to comment on the matter.
A separate issue arose when Rodriguez was purportedly shown on video being verbally abusive to players during games. The footage, which Rodriguez said he has not seen, was reportedly sent to school administrators. One source said it was also delivered to the state’s governing body for high school athletics, the New Mexico Activities Association.
It was recorded by a parent sitting behind the team bench, but details of what’s on there have not been discussed publicly.
NMAA associate director Dusty Young said his organization is not actually involved in the investigation and has not been given any video. All matters, he said, are being handled internally by the school.
It’s been a rough season for St. Michael’s. A program steeped in tradition with 11 state championships and dozens of district titles, the Horsemen got off to an 0-10 start for what is believed to be the first time in school history. The Horsemen were also beaten earlier this month by crosstown rival Santa Fe Prep for the first time ever.
Following Saturday’s win, they are 4-12 overall and 2-2 in District 2-3A. Longtime assistant Gerard Garcia will be the team’s interim coach until the school determines Rodriguez’s fate.
Garcia said the players “were down” after learning of their coach’s absence in a closed-door meeting Saturday morning. Many, Garcia said, were caught completely off guard by the situation.
The school has instructed Rodriguez to avoid making contact with his assistant coaches and players until the investigation is complete.
Robertson appeared to be on its way to a blowout win during Saturday’s game, building a commanding 40-22 lead late in the third quarter when Horsemen guard Derek Martinez drew two technical fouls and was ejected. Garcia said the players showed their resiliency in mounting a rally, one that saw the Horsemen go on a 28-6 tear to take the lead on a three-point play by Devin Flores in the final four minutes of regulation.
“We were down six at halftime, and I saw a pissed-off look in their faces,” Garcia said. “There were two ways this was going to go down. Either we were going to win this thing or, you know, it’s not going to happen and we’ll lose big.”
Saturday’s win notwithstanding, it’s been a long season for St. Michael’s. It started with a preseason injury to starting big man Lucas Coriz and continued with a number of other key injuries an off-court issues ranging from grades to illness and bouts with COVID-19.
The team didn’t get its first win until the first week of January and is in jeopardy of missing the state tournament for the first time in more than two decades.
Rodriguez is one of the most familiar faces in Santa Fe athletics. The son of legendary coach Bobby Rodriguez, he’s a 1979 graduate of Santa Fe High and later coached the Demons from 1992 to 2002 and again for a sixyear span that ended in 2016.
He joined the St. Michael’s as a teacher and assistant basketball shortly thereafter, getting promoted to varsity head coach in 2017 after Ron Geyer announced his retirement. Rodriguez has led the Horsemen to four straight playoff appearances, earning the No. 1 overall seed in Class 3A in 2019.
Starting with Geyer’s last two seasons, however, the program is 90-81 since the 2015-16 campaign; 64-51 under Rodriguez.
He his 233-295 with seven trips to the state tournament during his time with both schools.
The Horsemen play each of their next two games on the road before hosting Sandia Prep in a makeup game next weekend at Perez-Shelley Gym.