THE Rev. Mario Pariante is a big guy with a thick neck who looks like he spends a fair amount of time in the gym. Parochial politics
If he met football coach Cal Lee and his offensive line in an alley to settle their differences, it would probably be a pretty fair fight. But in the arena of St. Louis politics, Pariante was grossly overmatched and his willingness to stand up to an out-of-control football program cost him his job as school president. The result was a big black eye for Catholic education in Hawaii.
A handful of bad-apple St. Louis football players -- sometimes abetted by their adult chaperones -- have trashed hotel rooms, entertained themselves with liquor and strippers, threatened teachers and damaged their property, terrorized fellow students, assaulted people and spewed urine at an off-duty police officer. That's just what we know about in the last year or two.
Instead of supporting Pariante's efforts to impose Catholic discipline and get priorities in order, St. Louis trustees trumped up charges of poor leadership against him.
"Poor leadership" in this case is local code. Translation: Trustees and football-obsessed alumni saw Pariante as a pushy New Yorker who wouldn't toe to the local "go along and get along" mentality.
This is a religious school that is supposed to be dedicated to perpetuating Catholic values. These trustees are business executives, judges, lawyers, educators and other pillars of the community. Shame on them for besmirching the reputation of a good priest to preserve the right of Cal Lee and his players to do what they want without meaningful consequence.
Pariante began fearing for his job soon after he disciplined the football team after last year's incident on a Las Vegas road trip. Some players ripped up hotel rooms, guzzled beer and hired strippers for reasons that possibly went beyond stripping -- all under the watchful eyes of adults traveling with them.
Pariante briefly suspended players and forfeited a game that had little bearing on the team's ultimate 13th straight Prep Bowl championship. Coaches were absolved of wrongdoing.
IRONICALLY, a Star-Bulletin survey of mainland parochial schools with strong football programs found that all would have imposed far stronger penalties under similar circumstances. Players would have been suspended for the season and the coach would have been fired.
But St. Louis football parents and alumni were so incensed that Pariante even gave the lads a wrist slap that they hired a lawyer to threaten a lawsuit against the priest and began lobbying trustees for his head. Wednesday the trustees delivered. Now they're talking about a layman for the next president. Enough of the nonsense about spiritual values that Pariante preached.
The majority of St. Louis football players are fine young men, tarnished unfairly by the bad acts of a few teammates and the program's refusal to deal with the problem. Parents who have their kids there for reasons other than football are tired of the hypocrisy, but so powerful are Lee and his football program that many are afraid to speak up.
"We have a football team with a school instead of a school with a football team," said John Beresiwsky, whose sons attended St. Louis.
St. Louis parents who don't worship at the altar of Cal Lee might consider sending their kids to Kahuku High School. They have almost as good a football team there and care a lot more about quality education and good citizenship.
David Shapiro is managing editor of the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at editor@starbulletin.com.
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