(Editor’s note: The recently dismissed Palisades High wrestling coach Aldo Juliano sent the following letter to the Palisadian-Post and then shared it with the Palisades News.)
Your paper has been covering the story of my firing from Pali High as its wrestling coach. I gave the Postreporter all the e-mails I got from [parent] Dan Hansen and the school and spent a lot of time on the phone with him telling him my side of the story.
Yet, every headline and story seems to make me look like the one in the wrong, the one with the problem.
I am very disappointed the way your paper is making me look! You have told the story of Dan Hansen from his side, making him sound like the victim of what I said in the heat of the moment. But this came after being badgered for over six months and having him spread nasty lies, rumors and out-and-out false stories about me all over town and the wrestling community.
The whole time the school knew and did nothing to defend or protect me or stop his aggressive behavior.
And he had a hand in a teacher being fired and two other coaches, including Steve Cifonelli, last year’s wrestling coach.
Your paper talked to one parent, Dan Hansen, but you did not talk to the other parents who support me.
You never talked to Gretchen Topputo, who Dan Hansen told to threaten a teacher with suing to help her daughter’s grades. He also said it was his goal to have me fired this year.
Carlos Velada, George Carpenter and Delilah and Cory Chapman, and all the freshman parents complained their voices were not heard! Only one parent was heard— that’s all the school spoke to and all you covered.
Not once did your paper talk to the other kids on the team! Not once did you mention that Dan Hansen’s son threatened to take a swing at me and called me names in front of my other wrestlers.
Why is the school coddling this wrestler? Because his father threatened to sue the school.
I have been coaching the wrestling team for seven years and your story didn’t mention I raised the money for the new mats for the wrestling room and I put up pull-up bars, ropes and a peg board and painting. I dumped a lot of my own money to building a beautiful room for the kids that they would be proud of. The school didn’t spend a dime on it.
I feel your paper did not tell the whole story.
Aldo Juliano
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