Football coach Greg Grandell on new hire list for West Valley
Former West Valley football coach Greg Grandell resigned six years ago amid allegations of hazing between players. He firmly denied any knowledge of the situation. A lawsuit against the district and Grandell resulted in a settlement.
The board of the Anderson Union High School District, which includes West Valley Early College High School in Cottonwood, will vote on a consent calendar item that includes the rehiring of football coach Greg Grandell during a school board meeting tomorrow.
In a memo shared as part of the board’s agenda, Grandell is listed under new hires as the West Valley varsity football coach. Unless that item is pulled from the consent agenda by a board member, the decision is scheduled to be confirmed by the board without discussion during the board’s Feb. 11 meeting at 6 p.m. A prior agenda shows that West Valley’s last coach, Jason Weston, resigned in December.
Grandell previously coached the West Valley team for about three decades before resigning along with other coaches in 2020 amid an investigation into allegations of sexualized hazing among players. Just before his resignation, Grandell’s lawyer read a public statement on behalf of the coaching staff stating that neither Grandell nor his staff had any knowledge of the alleged hazing, that none of the students impacted had reported it, and that he did not condone such behavior.
Shasta Scout was not able to reach Grandell for comment this week. Multiple sources connected to him said that he did not want to speak to the media until after a decision about his rehiring is final.
In 2021, four male plaintiffs — all minors and named only as John Does in court documents — filed a civil lawsuit accusing AUHSD and Grandell of failure to supervise students and negligent training of public employees, among other allegations. The plaintiffs’ amended complaint alleged that older players on the football team used an object called the “piya stick” to assault younger players in the locker room.
The complaint alleged that both WVHS administrators and Grandell claimed they had no knowledge of the hazing until they were informed by the police, after a parent’s report to law enforcement. But the complaint also included an allegation that Grandell attempted a “cover up,” allegedly threatening players that if they discussed the hazing with outsiders, they would be kicked off the team.
In their response to that complaint, Grandell and AUHSD’s legal counsel “[denied] each and every allegation contained in said unverified complaint,” as well as all damages put forth by the plaintiffs. According to reporting from KRCR, Grandell’s legal counsel stated in court that the students’ depositions revealed that evidence of hazing was unbeknownst to “any adult” prior to September of 2020, due, the attorney said, to the hazing being “hidden and kept from Coach Grandell.”
In 2022, the students reached a financial settlement with AUHSD and Grandell, and the case was dismissed. A lawyer representing one of the students told KRCR at the time that the settlement should not be understood as an exoneration adding that Grandell’s lack of knowledge about the hazing was “evidence of his negligent supervision.”
AUHSD Superintendent Brian Parker did not respond to Shasta Scout’s request for comment asking what he would say to community members who might have questions or concerns about Grandell’s rehiring, given the alleged hazing that came to light under his leadership in the past.
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It’s easy to believe that this went on with kids who were cruel and abusive. It’s impossible to blame the coach when there are hours of times for kids to be in a locker room. When I was in high school lots of bulling and horrible things happened that the school never saw. Even back then, which was the early 70s, we had football players that forced themselves on girls, and nobody cared, nobody talked about it. So, that was rape…Even though I personally was kidnapped and held against my will, I didn’t come forward either. I was able to get away before I was raped, and I had the responsibility of coming forward, and yet, I knew it would be my word against the monster. I should have stood up and gone to the police. I was young and didn’t understand that what happened to me was kidnapping… Kids don’t understand what we as adults do. Maybe there is more information now. I think the fact that those horrible older students have power, and they will get even when someone comes forward. It was very common for the school administration to ignore what football players did. While I am not saying that in this case the coaches knew what happened, I am saying that for years we had a lot of abuse that went on of younger students in the locker rooms…more like physical abuse that was not sexual. I know other teen girls who were sexually abused and kept quiet, too. It is not just this particular timeframe. Unfortunately, it was way more common than anyone wants to admit to. During the election of the board in Shasta, we had a woman come forward about Kevin Crye…and I am pretty sure she was telling the truth. People feel a lot more powerful to speak out years later because they are no longer stuck in a school and can be hurt again. I think there should be a lot more training in schools to help prevent all kinds of abuse, bulling and rapes.
This is obsurd in my opinion. The school district really cares more about wins on a score board than the kids whose lives took a turn all because a coach didn’t want to supervise his players properly. As someone who played for west valley, I can truly say that the piya stick allegations were not “fake” or “made up”. It was a real thing that was happening to kids in that locker room. Ofc they wouldn’t come forward when the whole senior varsity players would absolutely make an embarrassment of you if you said anything. This man should stop being prideful, take it for what it is, and move on with his life.
Insanity. This whole “controversy” was not a lie like grandell and other staff members who stood by his side have said. Many boys who played for grandell came forward and have said that this hazing was going on in the locker room. Regardless of grandell and his staff knew or not is the issue. They didn’t know and they should have. Slap in the face to the kids who were victims of such violence.
Have forgotten what the official mascot is, but West Valley A$$ Pirates should be the unofficial name for a generation or two. What a diseased operation.
I will give him benefit of the doubt that he didnt know. So he still didnt know assaults were happening. Maybe need a coach who pays attention a little better.