Parents and students at Green Bay (Wis.) East High School have rallied around head football coach Niko Sila after school administrators suspended him for a variety of allegations.
A personal representative for Sila spoke with Fox 11 News, as Sila was ordered by school administrators not to speak with reporters, other teachers, or students while suspended, or he could be fired.
"These are all allegations," said Malik Lynch, Sila’s personal representative. "Niko said he didn't say any of these things."
Lynch said the allegations from the school ranged from disparaging remarks about school administrators to giving student-athletes rides home after practice and even making students do pushups if they cursed during practice.
Lynch himself a former school district employee said, “Some of the things I do understand after working in the school system, with the admin team and the principals that are in these buildings, for us, I'm going to say us colored people, Black people, myself — it's only okay for us to be wholeheartedly ourselves when it's beneficial for them."
After news of the suspension spread, Sila’s supporters started an online petition that has more than 1,800 signatures as of Oct. 22.
“He's done so much for the poverty in our city,” said Amanda Gerondale, a parent of a Green Bay East student. “A lot of these kids come from lower income houses and he's aware of that and he doesn't make anybody feel like they're any different.”
Other parents and students shared stories of the beloved coach checking in on students after a death in the family, being a father figure and a role model, and even feeding students.
Students organized a protest on Monday afternoon. They walked out of school and gathered outside Green Bay East High School with signs that read “Free Niko.” Students who spoke with Fox 11 News shared their frustration that the school wouldn’t be more transparent in the matter.
“I feel that if any of these kids ever felt disrespected or were mistreated by him in any way, shape or form, you would not have the uproar that you're having,” said Lehua Collins, Sila's sister
According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, Sila has been the head football coach since 2023, and he first started at the high school as a learning advocate in 2018.
