BANGOR, Maine — Former Bangor High School hockey coach Denis Collins, who resigned last week after an incident on a recent bus trip to Presque Isle, admitted Saturday he was aware a player had urinated into a jug on the bus.
Collins further offered that, in his experience, players urinating into a small container on bus trips is nothing new.
“Last year, on seven of our 10 trips, I found bottles of urine while I cleaned up the bus after the trip,” said Collins.
Collins explained that on Dec. 11, 10 minutes before the team reached the Northern Maine Forum in Presque Isle, some players stood up in the back of the bus and he noticed that one of them urinated into a jug. Collins said he told the player to stop and informed the team that wasn’t acceptable behavior.
He said the individual was surrounded by other team members, so the one female on the team, who sits up front, didn’t see anything.
Collins, who last week told the BDN he wasn’t aware of the situation, said he cleaned up the mess.
Collins, who has been replaced by former assistant Quinn Paradis, said he met Friday with Bangor Superintendent of Schools Betsy Webb to discuss the situation.
He said the meeting proved fruitless and he doesn’t expect to regain his job, nor does he anticipate seeking legal counsel.
“There was no resolution and the meeting ended abruptly,” Collins said.
He had asked to talk with Webb soon after a Monday meeting with Bangor High principal Paul Butler and athletic director Steve Vanidestine.
Webb agreed to the meeting.
Collins said the Monday meeting led to his resignation, although resigning wasn’t his intention.
He had met with Butler and Vanidestine the previous Friday (Dec. 14) and offered his resignation but they rejected it pending their investigation into the incident.
“They told me to man-up and to not abandon the players,” said Collins, who was in his third season at Bangor High and was the Eastern Maine Class A coach of the year last season.
He took that mindset into Monday’s meeting and hoped to retain his job.
“I [eventually] stood up and asked if I had been fired. They told me I hadn’t been and asked me to stay and discuss the issue,” said Collins.
However, as the discussion moved along, Collins said it became obvious to him that resigning was his best and only option.
“The [negative] environment led me to resign,” said Collins, who preferred not to comment on what was said at the Monday meeting.
He nonetheless wanted to explain his side of the story to Webb and to get a feel for whether she thought the investigation was handled properly and if he had been treated fairly.
“Denis has already shared beyond what I can share because I’m bound by confidentiality,” said Butler. “I will confirm that Denis did offer his resignation, [Vanidestine] and I deliberated and consulted over the weekend and, as Denis said, it was determined that it was best for all of us to accept his resignation.”
The incident in question was preceded by a comment made by Collins a few days before the bus trip, a comment for which he was later reprimanded.
Due to the tight time schedule that required the team to leave Bangor at 1:15 p.m. for a game that was moved from 5 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., he explained he had joked that it appeared as though it was going to be a “pee jug” trip for the team. He told them there wouldn’t be a bathroom stop on the way up.
Collins didn’t want the team to risk being assessed a two-minute bench minor penalty for being late to the game.
Shortly before the team arrived in Presque Isle, Collins admitted, he became aware of the urination incident.
He said at no time on the three-plus-hour trip up to the game or on the way home did any of his players ask him if they could stop the bus for a rest stop.
Bangor, which beat Brunswick 5-4 on Saturday, has a 4-0 record this season.
In my 9 years as a track coach at Brewer, I can’t think of one time when this sort of thing didn’t happen in the back of the bus on a long 2-hour trip, even if we did stop for a pee break, and even if I pleaded with them all to use the bathroom before we left for a trip. Nobody ever seemed to care much, and despite my threats and concerns, I could never tell who did what, and if the bus company complained, then the AD knew there was nothing I could have done. Ask the bus drivers about the bottles of stuff they find after long trips and they’ll tell you. I guess getting canned by the administration still comes down to how many parents complain, and what kind of hidden agenda is going on. What’s new?
My question is this, why the heck are we busing children from Bangor to Presque Isle, a 320 mile round trip, for an athletic event? This is incredibly ridiculous! How much is this costing taxpayers?
They have been as long as I’ve been around. However, when I played basketball at Bangor we always took a coach bus. That being said, we were never scheduled to the point where we might be late. You have to travel up there. No else are they going to play?
The stupid thing is that despite the notion that girls are the ones needing to go more often, it is only the guys (who for obvious reasons) are pulling the whole bottle trick. The girls somehow manage to compose themselves and so the guys should be able to as well. The thing worse than the bottles of urine are the bottles with tobacco chew spit sometimes found – I’ve heard about this from hockey & baseball trips mostly.
Sounds like a lot of coaches aren’t doing their job.
Sounds like you have never been either a player, or a coach.
Both, actually.
Would you rather these kids were just out roaming the streets getting into serious trouble? Isn’t there enough of that going on now? It’s a proven fact that Athletics benefits kids. Not only in body, but in mind and soul as well.
The real problem is the fact that all the rest stops have closed on I-95. A sad commentary on our state especially in light of large toll increases.
Matt, I totally agree. Four years of football, basketball and baseball for John Bapst and i can confirm it happened then as well and for basketball, we actually had a coach bus sponsored by Ron Brown and his family and it STILL happened. Its fairly normal. Nobody wants to be the one to go up and ask the bus to stop because you have to go pee, and then be ridiculed by all of the other guys on the team so its far easier to just go in a bottle. What is disgusting about this whole thing is how Princess Webb can just dismiss a respected coach so quickly without getting all of the details or hearing from the players. I coupld of parents that are too perfect does not make a bad coach…This was a terrible thing to have happened.
Making a big deal out of nothing. It’s nothing new for boys to act this way…. they should just “Man Up” and not blame others. It would have been over.
totally agree! but the people who should be “real men” are Butler & Vanidestine! and they to should “man up”! Oh but wait they have to hide behind the confidentiality rule!
Why can’t you use a bus with facilities on long trips. They certainly have them. Or is it too much to ask for a little privacy? Also why are they jeopodizing safety by leaving what someone could call late and not having a little cushion for travel incidents or in this case it appears a potty break.
and taxpayers will complain about renting a cyr bus for sports. The regular bus is not cheap, I would not want to think what a cyr bus would cost.
~$1,000 round trip to Presque Isle or Caribou, compared to $500-600 for a regular bus.
Because it is cost prohibitive. A little common sense would tell me they should stop every couple hours on a lengthy trip. I don’t know a teenager that can’t hold it that long.
Between sue happy parents, predatory lawyers, and the political correctness police at the school, you would have to be a couple of cards shy of a full deck to get involved with kids sports these days.
At least in the Bangor Kingdom of Betsy Webb.
My brother got fired and banned from coaching ever again at his daughter’s school for telling his cross country team to stop acting like a bunch of jackasses, which they clearly were because parents don’t teach their kids about respect anymore. It’s a kids world now. They rule! And whatever you do, don’t dare to say or do anything to offend THEM or hurt their precious feelings!
Single family parenting has a lot to do with the lack of respect in kids these days. I was a lot more scared of my old man than I was of the school officials or the cops. It was an excellent deterrence.
If he’s that uptight it’s probably good that he’s not around kids.
I went to grade school at Glenburn, and after 20 years i went back to cheer on a friend’s daughter at her basketball game. He told me to be careful how i cheered because if i said anything negative at all, i would be asked to leave. I cannot imagine how we have come to the point when you cant yell at a ref for a missed call or to your kids when they are not hustling enough to get the lead out…Pretty scary just how politically correct we have become.
It was most likely the parents of the ones acting like jackasses who got him fired. “Ya can’t speak to their little darling like that.”
Well said.
the more he talks, the weirder he gets. good riddance
You hit the nail on the head with this guy. seeking legal councel for what? maine is an at will work state and someone can be fired if there is no reason. He was not discriminated against for race,religion.disabilty or anything else protected.. Perhaps he was simply not liked by administration and that is all the reason they need. the meeting with betsy ended abruptly becasue he didnt get his way!
Why does ne belive yet another interview with the BDN actually clear anything up? They just LOVE controvesy, never reconcialtion.
The Queen has spoken, Bow to Betsy Webb, .
The Maine Supt. of the Year never makes mistakes. Asking the School Com. to look into this would be equivalent to asking Queen Elizabeth’s butler(s) to look into something that might embarrass the Royals. The School Com. lacks the integrity and the guts to question Webb about anything!
This is not the first time Betsy has done this. there have been other times when someone has requested only to get in behind closed doors and shortly the meeting ends with bad results. she is the queen alright.
would not count Marc Eastman out. He is no Kate Dickerson.
The fair and equitable solution would be for the School Committee to direct the Superintendent of the Year to get on the bus at the same time of day and ride without a break for the identical duration of aforementioned trip, so she can operate and make decisions from a position of experience. While some factors may not be exactly the same due to her aging process, the tediousness and bouncing around of a school bus ride of considerable length may serve to open her eyes to the reality of what her charges have to deal with to represent Bangor High School.
The “fair and equitable” thing to do for the taxpayer is for the school to refrain from transporting children to athletic events regardless of the distance. This isn’t education, it’s playtime and I don’t like paying for kids to have playtime.
Let me guess, you don’t like sports, never played sports, or didn’t like that you had to listen to a coach, so you quit whatever team you were on?
Or never even made the team……
The school committee doesn’t direct anything. It controlled by the perennial Chair Person and the Superintendent. Nothing meaningful ever makes it to the agenda.
LOL – this guy doesn’t understand the Bangor School Department if he expected the Superintendent to actually be interested in hearing from him. Let me save him some trouble and recommend that he not waste his time trying to address the School Committee on this issue either. Though they are responsible for oversight, they’re nothing but imposters.
I am so glad that this coach took the high road for the good of his team and didn’t let this become a distraction (LOL). Let’s see, he offered his resignation not once, but twice and it was finally accepted. Righteously, he does not anticipate seeking legal counsel? Perhaps he is thinking about seeking a gag order against himself?
At this point who cares? Talk about beating a dead horse.
Collins is a good coach, and I for one am disappointed that he will not be running the program that my son plays in.
Again the persons that are responsible for bad behavior are still on the team! When do we make kids accountable for thier actions? I am sorry the rest of the team loses.
I was only on one varsity sports team many years ago but when we went on long road trips we stopped at the rest areas. We just thought it was common sense. I don’t remember anybody peeing in a bottle. The scheduling does have to be realistic though. You have to allot travel time accordingly.
I ran track for three years in high school. I don’t recall the coach ever saying there would be no stops. Nor do I recall anyone ever thinking about peeing in a bottle.
Your school must have been much more civilized than mine. Mine being over 40 years ago.
Usually when something goes this far, you cannot win out. Wonder why the coach was not backed up, as it does happen all the time. The real answer might be, someone had an agenda and wanted him gone. Check out who did all the complaining and check to see if their child complained of not playing enough and you may find out the real reason, Sad but its politics and the community continues to allow it to happen as long as its not their child, complaining. If we had an group that did some investigations and research, than maybe the truth could be found before any action was taken. But with politics within , it does not happen. Sad
This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. It defies logic to anyone with common sense that this was a tempest in a teapot. Webb is the one who ought to resign if she can’t display any better judgment than this.
I agree, I’ve not been impressed with her on many incidents that she had the ultimate decision over…however, it seems she has the power over the ‘little folk’ and I liken it to the comment about Queen Elizabeth made earlier! lol
I’m sorry, but was she the one who told the players there would be no stopping? Was she the one who knew urinating on the bus was a problem and did nothing about it? Was she the one who tendered her resignation voluntarily?
Has the copy desk been abolished? Does anyone edit these stories? What I read here is sadly typical of the BDN these days.
The description of the incident, the nut of the entire story, does not appear until the 16th graf. It is then followed by this:
“He was surrounded by players so the one female on the team, who sits up front, didn’t see anything he said.”
I don’t think anyone saw anything he said. Do you?
It’s fast food journalism: Get the story out the door as quickly as possible, without thinking about what you wrote. There used to be a time when editors would hold stories and ask for a rewrite or more information. Now it seems there is no editorial oversight on the weekends: Just write ‘er and git ‘er out there — clean up the writing later, if at all.
Bangor has lost more than a great coach. They have lost integrity and respect. The story came from somewhere, why doesn’t the school go after that person and do a little investigation of him. I’m sure they will find many inappropriate comments or emails he has made to students! What I find almost comical is the fact that the BDN continues to run this story, but not ONE news outlet could run a story stating that with all the adversity this team has faced over the past week they were able to pull out a win over Brunswick last night. Way to go Bangor pull yourselves together, play as a TEAM and make your coach proud!
Don’t forget attention seeking…
“They have lost integrity and respect.”
The school lost that when players turned a school bus into an outhouse and the coach did nothing about it.
Can anyone explain why the coach would resign this time if he has found urine bottles on 7 of ten previous trips? Maybe this goes to his judgment about addressing specific players and their constant poor behavior.
Sooooo you are a child on a school bus that will not stop (between Bangor and Presque Isle) and you have to go…
Here are the options:
Hold it till you wet your pants.
let it go on the floor,
urinate in a bottle.
Please tell this now old man, (who was 14 back when) what he should have done all those years ago. Of course in my day bottles didn’t have a deposit.
This soap opera is not necessarily about peeing in a cup. It’s about a coach not being in control of players and some over zealous parents.
“Last year, on seven of our 10 trips, I found bottles of urine while I cleaned up the bus after the trip,” he said.
Way to nip this problem in the bud coach….sorry, the more you talk the less support you have from us.
You are exactly correct. He could not stand to discipline his Maine freeze recruits. He is not a coach who cares about making these players better young adults. He was a high school coach he cared nothing more than about winning. Like one player spoke in the news about him buying things for some of the players over the summer. In college a coach buys his players anything they are fired and entire program put on probation.
Must be one of the parents that wanted him gone? What’s the matter? Little Johnny didnt get enough playing time???
Jeff little Johnny never tried out for this team this year. So I would say sure he didn’t get any playing time. I told this coach his days were numberd at bhs due to his lying tactics. I’m more ticked I can’t take any credit.
This is the same superintendent who has an assistant on $100k a year paid leave.
Ahhhhhh, good catch….thats why they must have wanted the hockey coach gone.
I can’t believe this situation has resulted in this coach resigning. Who gives a flying who-you-what about a kid having to go in a cup or bottle on the team bus?
Ummm… how long were they on the bus? Maybe the kid just really really had to go!! I know I’d love the ability to go in a bottle if I really had to go. Leaving the stuff on the bus or making a mess…. punish the kid, not the coach. I don’t see the huge deal. Urinating all over the bus on purpose? Not acceptable. But why is the coach being investigated over it? Why not just suspend the kid from playing for a game or two every time they are caught. Just stupid.
“But why is the coach being investigated over it? Why not just suspend the kid from playing for a game or two every time they are caught.”
The coach is the disciplinarian of the team. He did nothing about it, and he certainly didn’t help when he told the team there would be no stops for the bathroom.
The A.D. and principal hand down discipline,not the coach. Coaches duties are to report violations. If they had suspended the player involved for previous violations, he wouldn’t have been on the bus and none of what followed would have ever occurred. The A.D.’s failed policy of no stops backfired,in addition to his unwillingness to suspend a player who admitted to a prior wrongdoing led to this mess.
Stop defending this crap! I’ve been traveling with kids on a bus for 29 years and never had any such incident occur. He was responsible for overseeing these kids. He failed to do this. The administration did what they needed to do.
michdawg, Yes the Administration did do what they had to with the coach! but what about the kids who did these stupid acts? Why haven’t they been reprimanded for their careless actions? We preach to our kids to be responsible young adults and to be held accountable for their actions! but if there is no consequences then I guess they will continue! Good one Butler & Vanidestine for setting a good example of your student athletes time after time! oh and by the way I am not defending this crap! Just saying!
Setting a good example? What about this same coach allowing players back on the team after they were caught drinking a yea or so ago. Your right these players should be held accountable by the school and their own parents. However u don’t see these players parents making their son/daughter be held accountable.
Must be another robot of the braintrust known as the school board…LOL
So last week he knew of no such issues this week he admits to knowing this has been going on. Hmm Denis if your going to tell your side of a story for sympathy you should at least stick to one story.lying is something Denis needs to work on
Your words really have no merit, especially to anyone that has had “the pleasure” of ever dealing with you! Your biggest goal on life is to tear other people down to make yourself look better….nice try!
Your to funny and don’t know me well at all. Because if you did you would know I could careless what people think of me. My comment here comes from Denis own mouth. One thing is for sure I unlike you and alot of others don’t hide behind some made up screen name
Believe me I know you don’t care! The Bangor hockey community has seen you in action more times than can be counted! Great role model!
Wow that’s amazing the Bangor hockey community has seen me in action so many times. I have over the years spoke my mind with one coach. And it had nothing to do with playing time. It had to do with a team not having a head coach. Or even the same coach for every game. My son has turned out pretty well so I’d say his parents were pretty darn good role models. What concerns me about you and your community is the fact you seem to have known when and where I was which kinda creeps me out that I have stalkers
Secondly as far as role model goes I have 3 people I need to be a role model for. And that’s my 3 boys. I know if they stay off drugs, graduate school, and are respected by those who know them then mission accomplished. One has succeeded and the other 2 time will tell as they are 6 and 9. You and like many other Bangor hockey parents don’t like it when people like me speak the truth and that truth is hurtful. Again your a coward taking shots at me behind a screename
MikeH22 Role model moto:for his 3boys! 1)stay off drugs, 2)graduate school, 3) and be respected by those who know you! What about respect ALL! whether they know you or not! Probably what some of the players that did these actions on the bus were taught also because if they respected “ALL” maybe they would have thought twice about it! Oh and I don’t know you but from all you post I have been reading you sound like a very bitter former hockey parent that was done wrong by BHS! No need to respond there are no ?’s in this statement! JMO!
Completely Agreed
So was there not enough of a response with the first title of this story?
This story says Denis lied last week by not knowing this went on yet this story claims he knew it was common
Yeah like any member of a sports team that ever played away in Maine since the 1960’s “didn’t know” this happened.
Until adults get civilized and provide bathrooms on the buses used to ferry sports teams hundreds of miles, there will be peeing in containers. It sure beats some alternatives I can imagine.
What’s the big deal anyway? Over the road truck drivers do this all the time.
IMO Principle Butler & AD Vanidestine need to hold their student athletes accountable for their stupid acts! but time after time incident after incident I hear about it doesn’t seem like they do! Seems to me that their the ones behind this whole situation! And yes they bow down to the Queen of BHS and they do as they want and are backed by her as well! And then hide behind the Confidentiality rule! Bunch of BS!
O wow. A classic Maine tempest in a teapot story for sure. The highways of America are littered with jugs of urine. All oppugners fell free to ask any local or highway worker in any state. It is one of those nasty,taboo things many humans do but do not openly admit to,
How did it all begin? Hour long commuter trips,add 1 or or 3 hours with crashes. Highways becoming parking lots in bad weather or with crashes. Lack of rest room facilities. Add coffee drinking. Also, You think closing down those Burger King rest areas plazas on the turnpike did not have dire consequences?
Is it proper etiquette to urine in a vehicle? Ahhh, no. Is it sometimes necessary? Many people know that answer already.
Now, about number “2” and long commutes. I am not sure how my fellow human handle that situation, but i would guess if you see a Walmart plastic bag along the highway and it looks like it has merchandise in it? I suggest to forget about stopping to look inside.
This article,and hopefully the last, was obviously written out of spite. Shame on you Larry. Just because you weren’t given the opportunity to report at the beginning of this mess. Jumping on the witchhunt bandwagon is all your left with I guess. Once again the BDN has proven itself to have little integrity. Through all these reports and comments,there is yet to be any mention of who the person(s) are that reported this incident.No investigation could be considered comprehensive without knowing the motives of the accuser. In the end, leaving a corrupt and unprofessional organization that is the Bangor athletic department is probably the best thing that could happen for this coach. After all,its not like he was taking Zumba classes.
“No investigation could be considered comprehensive without knowing the motives of the accuser.”
Hm. Coach admits to saying there would be no stops. Coach admits there was a problem with players peeing on the bus, coach admits to not doing anything about the peeing.
The motives of whoever tipped the school off are irrelevent in this case, I would say. Besides, once the coach resigned, the case was closed.
As for Mahoney writing out of spite, what exactly does that mean?
This article is nothing more than a reprint of ESPN’s interview. The coach admitted he was enforcing the A.D.’s cost cutting policy. I think the motivation of an accuser is relevant when a resignation is forced through intimidation. Once again, the A.D. hands down discipline, not the coach. I cant understand why people continue to ignore this.