Abrupt coach firing at Livonia Franklin fractures community as controversy swirls

LIVONIA, Mich. (FOX 2) - Emotions reached a fever pitch during Monday night’s Livonia Public Schools board meeting.

The crowd erupted in outrage as a speaker read an impact statement accusing now fired, longtime wrestling coach Dave Chipola, of grooming.

As a trustee said a speaker's time was up at the podium, a man stepped forward toward the dais.

Shouting began with a trustee ordering him to "step back!"

"This is the true story of former student at Livonia Franklin who was groomed as a child by David Chiola, starting when she met him at 13 years old," the speaker said, reading a statement.

Supporters of the former Franklin coach said the allegations should be reserved for human resources and not a public forum.

"To bring it into a public forum without any kind of vetting of what happened that night is gross negligence," said another speaker. "I am a marine, and I had the building blocks from my wrestling days at Franklin, and I have Dave Chiola to thank for that."

When FOX 2 reached out to the school district Tuesday, a spokesperson said they would not comment on those grooming allegations.

However, they did send a statement on Chiola’s termination — saying:

"We employ almost 2,000 staff members in Livonia Public Schools. All personnel decisions are made with integrity and based on a deliberative review of the individual circumstances that are present.

"Recently, the administration decided to part ways with the coach in question based on a review of the totality of the facts including previous personnel history. While the focus on social media has been on one specific issue, that is a truncated portrayal of the situation. No other specific information will be shared about this employment situation."

When Chiola himself spoke at the meeting, he said his firing — which was a week before the wrestling season — was poorly handled, and based on a phone call where students overheard him say something "mean-spirited."

"I’m not going to stand idly by and let my name get dragged through the mud," he said. "Ironically, my character was questioned, but I was also asked to lie, and say that I was resigning because of personal problems. Anybody who truly knows me, knows I would never abandon my team with a week before the season unless something was wrong with my daughter."

The school board tried to diffuse rumors that his termination involved locker-room accommodations for transgender athletes.

Chiola — whose teams won numerous championships during his 24 years — says the school district sent home a letter to parents saying he didn’t align with the district’s vision and values.