Multiple Niles West football players were seen wearing t-shirts with handwritten phrases including “Free Coach T” and “You can’t spell team without T” at school on Thursday, Oct. 3. The t-shirts refer to the news that head varsity football coach Nick Torresso was on leave as of Oct. 2. The team did not have practice on Tuesday, and Torresso, also a Niles West special education teacher, was absent from school and practice beginning Wednesday.
West administrators held a meeting for football players on Wednesday afternoon notifying them that Torresso was on leave and that head freshman football coach Kyriako Anastasiadis and head sophomore football coach Billy Oline would be stepping in as co-interim head coaches. A letter was also sent to parents and guardians of football players. No reason was given for Torresso’s leave.
“We understand that a mid-season change can be challenging for both athletes and their families. Please rest assured that our priority remains the well-being and development of each student-athlete, both on and off the field,” the letter, signed District 219 Administrative Team, said.
Senior middle linebacker Leon Zakharia explained the players’ motivation for wearing the t-shirts.
“Our coach has been dealt an unfair hand and we want justice for our coach to come out. We want the school to ask questions and know the truth about what’s going on. Our main purpose with these shirts was to represent this and spread awareness in a respectful and presentable way for Niles West,” Zakharia said.
Some players such as senior offensive tackle Emro Perocevic expressed concern about the timing of Torresso’s leave. The Wolves are coming off of a win over rival Niles North last Friday, have a record of 3-2 this season, and are hoping to make the playoffs.
“As far as we know, it’s an unfair situation and we think that [Torresso] should be with us right now. If anything, [administration] should be talking about this after the season. Doing this in the middle of our season isn’t the best time to do this because it’s throwing everything off. I’m sure they have a reason behind doing this but the administration could have waited five more weeks until the season is over,” Perocevic said.
Principal Jeremy Christian, who was present at the after-school meeting, is aware of the t-shirts.
“Each student has the right to express what they believe and do what’s in their heart. As long as it is safe for them, and other students, they have a right to express themselves the way that they feel,” Christian said.
@nwfbstool on Instagram posted a group picture of football players posing in the cafeteria with the t-shirts they wore during the school day. The caption expressed plans for continued support for Torresso.
“We as a unit will do everything in our power to get our coach back. In the meantime, we will keep fighting on the field and executing our job. We still have goals ahead of us that we plan to achieve. To those interested in supporting the team, we will be attending the board meeting on Tues. Oct 8, at the Niles Township District Office,” @nwfbstool said.
