Manager of the 2011 World Series little league team from Warner Robins decided not to coach this year after his son broke his arm, but emails obtained by The Patriot in mid February provide a little more detail.
According to the President and CEO of Little League International, Steve Keener; "It was confirmed that Philip Johnson did violate a policy which prohibits possession or consumption of alcohol on the Little League International Complex." It was discovered that Johnson brought alcohol into the complex dorms. "For this offense, Johnson was barred from any association or involvement with the 2012 Little League International Tournament," wrote Kenner.
The Patriot spoke with Johnson who had this to say, "It was a bad choice. When approached by Williamsport, I admitted to making a mistake, and I took my punishment."
Back here in Georgia, The WRALL board of directors weren't made aware of the situation until after both Johnson's resignation from managing this season, and Little League International's suspension was handed down. According to WRALL President Mickey Lay, once they were made aware, the board of directors voted to not let Johnson coach or manage in the little or junior leagues. This punishment was decided after Johnson informed the board he would not be managing due to his son's injury.
Lay went on to say that parents were not made aware of the situation in Williamsport "since it was not at our (Warner Robins) location or that any laws were broken."
He continued saying, "Johnson has been a strong advocate for the league for many years. A good coach, and a good individual.
Johnson said he may return to coaching when his four-year-old gets to the little league ranks, but until then he's not sure, saying, "we'll see."
Yep, Grandpa comes and helps out too. Oh, by the way, I saw Ryan with a shovel moving dirt around on the field the other day. Guess that blows your theory that they are only there to coach!
It does sound stinky, to say the least. I say , talk to the parents, and then see what the board does next!
Surely the league members would want to know if their league is spending money this way. Also, the receipts would show whether or not league funds allegedly covered bar tabs or not.
I really wish I had a boat to get this guy off this lonely island :( Forgive, forget. Pray, give it to God, and move on with your lives. This is not important people!
WRALL does not need anymore egos. Youre all going to die, face the creator and when you reflect on this, will it even matter? and did YOU ALL make this organization better or worse? God, values, and morals.. coach that!
I guess the zero tolerence doesn't apply to them
Maybe you need a "supplier". Maybe Phillip will call his "supplier" to bring him some more, at this time I haven't heard one kid from that team, or any other team, regret any past experiences with Phillip. Obviously, the "suppliers" kid had a great time, and enjoyed his time with Phillip and his companionship. Lastly, consenting adults, can have an adult beverage together.... its ok. Its kinda like sneaking in presents at Christmas, the kids dont know about it, but it still happens!
It is the responsibility of the current board to look deeper into this story. I don’t care why they haven’t. I’m sure some of the board members are friends with Mr. Johnson and others, but that has to be put aside. You, the board, represent a league, not a friend or coach. The league itself doesn’t have to know all that went on in Williamsport Pa. But the board does.
Get parents from that World Series team and ask the questions. The board can do what’s right in this case or they can brush this under the table. Just remember, board of directors, you represent the people and not yourselves.
WRWR, this is news worthy but you shouldn't allow anyone to post any comments towards this article. The "he said, she said" stuff is irrelevant. People bashing and name dropping shouldn’t be allowed. These are all volunteers. From coaches to board members, nobody gets paid and nobody is perfect.
WRWR, it’s time to let this story move on.
That's the problem with you people (other than terrible grammar and spelling). You assume.
I remember in 2008 a certain manager being removed from the league for something far worse and it was never reported. It was a league issue and remained as such. To have a child fake an injury is about as low as it gets and the manager got what he deserved. Other than it being one of the worst managerial decisions I have ever seen (it ended up costing the team the game in the end), the clown manager corrupted a child.
I'm through with this site and all that comes with it. If the WRALL board is smart, they will ban all affiliated with this smear campaign including WRWR from their facility forever.
(Editor's Note: Much, I am sure, to your disappointment, they cannot do that.)
Congrats to the boys last year, they did it on their own. More drama their than most folks can handle!
Shame on them for letting Philip Johnson take the entire blame for this. The Nauss' were for ALL of the kids and not just their own. There are several parents on the fields to date without volunteer forms, but they have not been banned or even talked to.
It's easy to see where this story came from and shame on WRWR for giving these people a voice. It all comes down to a bitter old man who hasn't ran the league in almost a decade (which has been the leagues most successful in these old eyes), and he can't stand it. The league is financially sound (something he always had problems with), winning (just look at the succes prior to and post grandpa), and well respected (still is in my eyes, the league takes out the trash when they need to).
WRALL keep on keeping on and the true supporters will always be there when you need them.
How can you blame WRWR for doing its job, reporting a story? Since you are blaming others, why don't you blame CEO of Little League International, Steve Keener for banning Mr. Johnson? Then you can blame the WRALL Board of Directors for not giving Mr. Johnson a team this year. A coach admitting to bringing alcohol in a non-alcohol place while watching over 14 kids that are not his. That’s the real story.
WRWR didn’t say any of this in the story, blame belongs to CEO of Little League International, Steve Keener and WRALL president Mickey Lay for taking action on this person.
Shame on those guys. Who they think they are?
This is a great organization.
Someone owes the parents the truth they do have a zero policy on alcohol and tabacco and our local board is out of control this league has been hijacked by a bunch of thugs
THANK YOU WRALL BOARD MEMBERS for all you do so that ALL CHILDREN CAN PLAY!
You people are constantly whining and complaining about anything negative you hear about and forgetting the POSITIVE! You obviously need a new perspective on life, come out and watch my child and the other Challenger teams play this weekend, and maybe you will finally get it!
Mr. Johnson is a great coach, who made an error in judgement, has owned up to it, and has taken his punishment. It appears that some people (Mr. Nauss and his mob) are bitter and are trying to stir up crap.
WRALL Board of Directors....thank you for all your hard work, for dealing with the issues that are thrown on you, and providing a ballpark that I and my children are proud to be a part of.
Mr. Dunn is now the DA for the Little League 5th District. So put the blame on where it belongs. On those who did wrong in Williamsport Pa... You say thank you board for dealing with things being thrown at you. You should be saying, "Board, why don’t you call all the World Series parents in and ask them what they know and what they saw? Then Mr. Lay can go to the paper with the facts and clear all this up. That would stop all this mess. That won’t happen because the 2011 President, Vice President and all coaches will have to face the music. How do you think this crap got back to Warner Robins GA? Parents see all and know all.
Friends covering up friends mess.
Since the 2012 Board of Directors won't ask all World Series parents what went on, maybe Drew Bollea will.
I am glad that WRWR TV38 is covering this and has the courage to put it out there when no else would because of their name and maybe they can help get to the bottom of this and get the rest of them that were involved suspended to so that the kids safety come first.
I'm sure this article is just scratching the surface. Will the whole truth come out?
To be continued.........
WRALL Board of Directors should have taken actions against those who done wrong and not cover up the truth.
Lots more to this story!
Thanks for the feedback. If you happen to tune into our station, we have nightly coverage on all the local teams making playoff pushes. From interviews from the coaches and the players, to region standings and schedules, we pride ourselves in the amount of local coverage we provide and work very hard to get it to you.
Thanks,
McKenna Knight, Sports Anchor