Westport Coach Arrested for Giving Freshmen a Porn Site Password

A Westport high school football coach was arrested Thursday on an accusation that he gave freshmen students a password to an adult website.

At 1:30 p.m. today, assistant coach Michael Pickering, 40, of Norwalk turned himself in at Westport Police Department. He was charged with three counts of risk of injury to a minor. He was issued a $50,000 bond. 

After police received initial the complaint, detectives interviewed members of the freshman football team at Staples High School in Westport with their parents. The students told police they were given the password by the assistant coach to access the site, according to Westport Police Captain Sam Arciola.

A search warrant was obtained by Westport Police Department detectives last night and computers belonging to the assistant coach were seized for further investigation, Arciola said. The coach, under advice from his attorney, declined to be interviewed in connection with the complaint.

Today an arrest warrant was completed by the Westport Police Department charging the assistant coach with risk of injury to a minor. That law states in part that “any person who willfully or unlawfully causes or permits any child under the age of sixteen years to be placed in such a situation that […] the morals of such a child are likely to be impaired, or does any act likely to impair the health or morals of any such child” has violated that statute, according to Arciola.

The arrest comes on the heels of increased visibility about the behavior of football coaches following

An investigation began Wednesday after questions were raised by a news outlet, according to Westport Police Captain Sam Arciola. 

WestportNow reported that a statement from Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon went out to parents, and that Staples Principal John Dodig said the school's preliminary investigation was quick and a decision to bring the matter to police was made hours after receiving information.

WestportNow says that according to Dodig, a freshman football coach is accused of giving access code information to some members of the freshman football team to the adult pornography site. The administration removed the coach from duty immediately, he said.

Inklings, the Staples High School news outlet, reports Dodig said a student who was not a part of the football team overheard the information and reported it to a Staples staff member.

Alumnus recalls coach was never inappropriate

While a 2011  grad who played for Assistant Freshman Coach Michael Pickering said he was shocked to hear about  who he remembered to be inspiring and supportive, he is sure the team will rise above one coach's bad decision.

DJ Sixsmith, who now attends Fordham University on a path to a broadcast career, said Pickering was his favorite coach when he played football his freshman and sophomore year at Staples High School.

“He was a type of guy you could rely on for encouragement and advice,” Sixsmith said “I wasn’t the biggest guy on the team, but it didn’t matter, really, how big or strong I was. It was how much heart I had, and coach Pickering was someone who really inspired me by saying that.”

Sixsmith explained there was nothing of inappropriate nature occuring while Pickering was his coach.

“Me and the rest of the guys on the team just had a friendly relationship with Coach Pick, nothing away from the school. He was a professional guy and a good coach,” Sixsmith said.

“The story becomes even bigger now that this whole  has been going on,” Sixsmith said. “So people will now associate the two together, but 'No,' they are two very different situations.”

School administration praised for swift response

Although Sixsmith called it a sad day for Staples football, he is sure Staples will move past this mishap because of how it was properly handled by Staples' administration. He believes the administration will not let it become an issue in the future.

Board of Education Chair Don O’Day agreed, and was pleased with how the administration and the  reacted.

“The speed at which the administration and the police department had begun their discussion underscores the school’s commitment for the safety and the loyalty of our students,” O’Day said.

As soon as the information was discovered, the administration worked well into the evening Tuesday and was prepared to deal with the authorities Wednesday morning, according to O’Day.

Prior to this incident, Pickering, a Norwalk resident, had been a Wreckers football coach for nine seasons in addition to being a freshman lacrosse coach, according to the Wreckers' website. Pickering, who also worked for the Westport Public Schools Maintenance Department, graduated from Brien McMahon High School in 1989.

“It is a shame a great coach made a mistake, and unfortunately it had to become so big like this,” Sixsmith said. “I hope the best for him in the future.”

As far as the future for Staples football, Pickering's mistake may be a topic of conversation, but that’s it.

“The team is going to be able to rise above it,” Sixsmith said. “I think coach P. (Head Coach Marce Petroccio) and the rest of the staff have been there long enough and they will be able to deal with this controversy and not let it affect what is happening on the field.”

The mishap occurred just before the Thanksgiving Day rivalry game between Staples and Greenwich, both undefeated teams. 

Editor's note: Information from this article originally  by Westport Patch in two .