By Stephen Appezzato
LITTLE SILVER – Former Red Bank Catholic (RBC) girls soccer coach Frank Lawrence was found not guilty in the harassment case brought against him in July by a player.
Last summer, an RBC girls soccer player accused Lawrence of shoving her during a practice. Following a trial held in municipal court in Little Silver Jan. 24, Lawrence was acquitted.
Two prosecution witnesses gave conflicting accounts of the incident and admitted to having “less than ideal views of what happened,” according to a statement from attorney Mitchell Ansell of Ansell Grimm and Aaron, PC, Lawrence’s council.
The player who brought the accusation also testified during the trial. Her statement reportedly corroborated Lawrence’s recount of the incident.
According to the statement from Lawrence’s attorney, during practice, the player made “belittling remarks toward underclass teammates.” Lawrence requested the player stop the behavior. The player refused and challenged his authority. Lawrence then asked the player to leave the field, which she “defiantly refused” to do. When the coach tried to shepherd her off the field, she told him not to touch her and he “immediately complied.” While an assistant coach escorted her off the field, the player said she “couldn’t let him (Lawrence) win.”
Following the prosecution’s case, Ansell determined no defense witnesses needed to testify as the “allegations had been disproved by the player herself.”
Following deliberation, Judge James Berbue found there was no credible evidence that Lawrence had any intent to harass the player and that the player’s testimony revealed she was not shoved or pushed.
Berbue further said Lawrence had a responsibility to maintain order on the pitch and that he was “acting as a coach” during the practice, deeming him not guilty and expunging his record.
According to Ansell, Lawrence could have “taken the easy route” and pled guilty to a lesser violation, but instead “fought this case not only for his own reputation but to show that his fellow coaches and educators have a right to discipline an unruly player or student.”
“The state never had enough evidence to prove that Coach Lawrence ever intended to harass the player. To the contrary, he was trying to coach his player and his actions never, ever rose to the level of criminal conduct,” Ansell said.
“That’s why he didn’t want to take a lesser charge, because he believed that he was not guilty of committing a crime and when the judge found him not guilty, it did, in fact, reaffirm our belief in the justice system,” he said.
In the statement, Ansell wrote that “coaches, teachers, police and other individuals in positions of authority are under attack by players, students and the general public who are unwilling to accept that complying with directives from those in authority is necessary to maintain a functioning society.”
There are many reports of school personnel leaving the profession as they are treated disrespectfully on a “daily basis,” Ansell continued, noting that finding qualified staff to replace them is becoming increasingly difficult.
Lawrence has a 35-year successful coaching career at multiple levels, from recreational to club, high school, junior college and Olympic Development Program sports. Currently he is the president of the New Jersey State Girls’ Soccer Coaches Association and regional chair for Coach of the Year for the National Coaches Association.
The article originally appeared in the February 1 – 7, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
