Leading off today: The resignation of Rodney Headley, who guided Peekskill to a NYSPHSAA girls basketball championship in 2011, came after a student alleged she engaged in a sex act with the coach,
The Journal News reported Thursday.
Headley was recently hired as an assistant women's coach at City College of New York but did not disclose the allegation to the head coach or that he surrendered his teaching certificate, CCNY head coach Jamie Angeli told the paper.
Headley, 29, was a tenured middle school health teacher and led the girls team to three Section 1 Class A championships in five years. He was reassigned to duties away from coaching on the eve of the state tournament last winter and then agreed to resign after the district notified him of its intent to file disciplinary charges, according to a copy of his settlement agreement obtained by the paper.
The girl alleging the sexual contact was a 17-year-old high school student at the time and the Westchester County district attorney's office investigated before concluding there was no basis for prosecution, the paper reported. Under New York law, it's not illegal for a teacher to have sex with a student, provided the student is at least 17, which is the legal age of consent.
Headley denied the sex allegation to the paper and said it's "not the main reason" he resigned but declined to specify another reason. "I was never charged with anything," he said.
Peekskill Superintendent Larry Licopoli said sexual relationships between district employees and students are prohibited, regardless of age..
CCNY's Angeli told the paper he checked Headley's references before hiring him and that Headley told him that he resigned after a dispute with a co-worker.
Soccer battle: Sophomore Sabrina Cristodero scored in the 28th minute Wednesday to lift St. Anthony's past rival St. John the Baptist 1-0 in girls soccer action between two of Long Island's top squads.
The Friars' Mackenzie Kober played a corner kick toward the near post where Kayla Arestivo kept the play alive and Kaitlin Loughren headed the ball in front. Cristodero one-timed the ball into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
Milestone: Fulton edged Jamesville-DeWitt 9-25, 25-19, 25-19, 15-25, 27-25 on Wednesday to present coach Caroline Richardson with her 400th career victory. Donna Aiken led the Red Raiders with three aces, 20 assists and five digs.
"I forgot all about it, and I was like 'Oh that's exciting, I didn't even remember,'" Richardson told Syracuse.com.
Football this weekend: There are 15 games between ranked teams on the New York Week 3 football schedule, led by the Class AA matchup between No. 10 Shenendehowa and No. 16 Albany CBA. In a small-school battle of seventh-ranked schools, Class C Bronxville plays Class D Tuckahoe.
