SRJC baseball coach Damon Neidlinger target of anonymous accusations

This should be the best of times for Damon Neidlinger. His Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team is coming off a state championship, he’s the reigning Nor-Cal Coach of the Year, and autumn marks the beginning of both a new school year and a new round of offseason workouts.

Instead, Neidlinger is waiting to hear the results of a college inquiry that was prompted by an anonymous letter.

“It’s tough to defend yourself when you’re called to the mat on something and there are no details behind it, no one to talk to,” SRJC athletic director Matt Markovich said.

Neidlinger and others close to the Bear Cubs baseball program are vexed that an unsigned letter could prompt so much activity. But others recognize the situation as symptomatic of an era when many student-athletes (and their parents) demand gentler treatment, and institutions are keen to show they take complaints seriously.

Neidlinger continues to coach as the SRJC human resources department investigates. Meanwhile, alumni of the team are rising to his defense. Several, after getting wind of the accusatory letter and The Press Democrat’s investigation, emailed long and strongly worded defenses of Neidlinger.

“The greatest wisdom I had ever received at that program was when Damon told us that we could only be successful ballplayers if we accept the truth (about our talent),” wrote Santo Militello, who played for Neidlinger from 2003 to 2005. “ … I knew my weaknesses and I had to figure out how to win with my strengths. Because of that, I became a better ballplayer and was able to play at another level (I was paid to play baseball in the Italian pro leagues). I also was able to carry that over into the real world. I was able to attend Oxford University and I now own my own business. I am positive none of these accomplishments would exist without attending Damon’s baseball program.”

The anonymous letter that sparked the controversy, dated Oct. 14, states in part:

“Observers have witnessed, and student athletes have reported Coach Damon Neidlinger screams profanities at them, intimidates and threatens them and makes negative and inappropriate comments related to their body type, physical appearance, weight, intellect, athleticism, and performance. These interactions with players are occurring on a regular and daily basis in front of peers, causing significant humiliation, and reduced self-esteem and personal confidence.”

The author goes on to cite specific sections of the SRJC Faculty Professional Ethics Code and the California Community College Athletic Association Coaches Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics that he or she claims Neidlinger has violated.

Markovich received a copy from athletic counselor Filomena Avila, who was copied on the original mailing, and passed it along to human resources on Oct. 20. Markovich said he knew of no particular timeline for the fact-finding process.

“They didn’t express anything to me, but from what I know from my experience, they’d consult with legal services at the school, send them the letter, see what they think and wait for advice,” Markovich said.

The athletic director said he wasn’t aware of any previous complaints about Neidlinger.

“I started working here in July of 2015, so just over a year ago, and I’ve never heard a bad thing about Damon,” said Markovich, who played baseball at SRJC between stints at St. Vincent de Paul High School and Sonoma State. “Parents have called or emailed about other coaches, but I’ve never had one about him. And if I did, I would run it down.

“What bothers me, with it being anonymous, if it is a kid I’d want to help him. In my 16 months here, we’ve been very clear that we hold our coaches to a very high standard of ethics.”

Neidlinger, as you might imagine, wasn’t thrilled to be dragged into a tempest on the heels of one of his best seasons. He is proud of his two state titles, his five conference coach of the year awards, his overall .651 winning percentage and the 73 players he has transferred to Division I programs since 1997.

He seems even prouder of helping players develop into confident young men.

“You want me to have my seven former players who are CHPs, my 10 police officers, my one guy who’s going into the FBI right now, you want to talk to them and all their parents?” Neidlinger said. “You want to download my file of guys who stay in touch with me every year? It’s why I am the way I am, and I attack life. To handle adversity, to handle pressure.”

Neidlinger is frequently described as “passionate” or “fiery.” He admits he can be blunt with his players, but denies he crosses the line into abuse.

To test that perception, Neidlinger gathered his players at second base at a recent baseball practice, shortly after hearing about the letter. He mentioned the complaints and instructed his athletes to weigh in on whether he was treating them properly. He told each to anonymously write YES or NO on his slip, include suggestions if desired, fold the paper in half and drop it into a bucket behind the press box, where he couldn’t see them.

Markovich counted the ballots as he spoke to the Press Democrat by phone: 47 YES votes, zero NO votes.

Many of the yesses included comments.

“Yes. Keep doing what you’ve always done.”

“Yes. I never improved so much in this amount of time.”

“Yes. I’ve been told I’m better than I am my whole life. I like the truth.”

Reached by phone, one former SRJC baseball player and one current member of the team were offered anonymity when asked for candid descriptions of Neidlinger and the program. Both chose to go on the record, and both were highly complimentary.

“The way his philosophy is, he brings in a bunch of players who aren’t as talented, who don’t have, say, (Division I) capabilities at the start,” said Jake Scheiner, a Maria Carrillo graduate who was with the Bear Cubs last year and is now playing at the University of Houston. “The way he coaches, he toughens us up. He changes your whole game. There’s a reason so many successful players come through there. He cares so much, that’s why he may come off as intense.”

Myles Andrews, also from Maria Carrillo, noted that he was frequently on the receiving end of Neidlinger’s lectures as a freshman last year. But he never felt singled out.

“If someone is lackadaisical, he does not care,” Andrews said. “Even a third-year like (Anthony) Bender, a guy who got drafted (by the Kansas City Royals), got it a few times. I actually think if you’re gonna play more, he’ll be on you more. He’ll ride you until you fill that potential. That’s why I like it here. Everyone is treated the same.”

Scheiner suggested what others in the program clearly are thinking: that the anonymous letter was penned by a player who had been cut from the roster, or by the parent of such a player.

“(Damon) is gonna be honest with you if you’re not gonna play here,” Scheiner said.

Each year, Neidlinger starts with as many as 60 hopeful players. By the time the 2016 season started, the roster was at 32. Those who get cut aren’t happy about it. Nor are young men who make the team but don’t get the playing time they feel they deserve.

The difference these days is that student-athletes and their parents seem more willing to raise a stink about it, and colleges more likely to take them seriously.

“I think the parents have gotten harder,” Sonoma State baseball coach John Goelz said. “Everybody is doing this now for scholarship money, so you have all these teams that are charging money to play. It’s almost pay-to-play. When I played, if you weren’t good enough, and at times I wasn’t, you didn’t play. I had to work really hard to be on the team. Nowadays your parents fork out $2,300 to be on a travel team, and they expect you to play.”

Goelz sometimes competes with Neidlinger for recruits. They aren’t close personally. But the SSU coach believes Neidlinger has the students’ best interests at heart.

“Damon and I have very different methods,” Goelz said. “We haven’t seen eye to eye over the years sometimes. But I respect the hell out of him.”

Of all the passages in the anonymous letter, it was the final paragraph that got under Neidlinger’s skin: “Mr. Neidlinger has two sons … would he tolerate an adult male, in a position of power and influence treating his sons in this manner?”

What the author may not have realized is that Neidlinger has indeed coached youth sports, including his son’s 12-and-under team.

“And I coach the 12-year-olds the same way as SRJC,” he said. “I’m truthful, and they love it.”

Goelz can relate to that approach.

“It takes a tough group of guys to win (league) championships, and state championships, and he’s done both,” Goelz said of Neidlinger. “Ask him and he’ll say he’s tough. I am, too. But that anonymous note is the most chickens--- thing I can think of.”

You can reach Phil Barber at phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.