Duxbury (Mass.) High School, which fired two coaches earlier this year amid scandal, will not renew the contract of athletic director Thom Holdgate.
According to Boston.com, citing The Boston Globe, Holdgate shared the news that his three-year contract would not be renewed in an email to Duxbury’s coaching staff and Patriot League officials on June 16. Though Holdgate declined to comment to the Globe, a source said a school official told Holdgate his lack of contract renewal was connected to the scandals.
The first scandal broke in March, when the football team used terms like “rabbi,” “dreidel,” and “Auschwitz” to call plays during a game against Plymouth North, leading to the termination of football coach Dave Maimaron.
Related: High School Fires Coach Over Anti-Semitic Play Calls
A month later, Duxbury fired boys' hockey coach John Blake following an investigation into a lawsuit alleging Blake repeatedly raped a middle school student in the mid-2000s.
Holdgate has been at Duxbury for 19 years, serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and was considered a candidate to succeed the current executive director of the MIAA and Massachusetts Secondary School Athletic Directors Association before the scandals broke.
“Thom has played a key role in the success of the DHS athletic programs for the last 19 years,” Matt Ellis, Duxbury schools spokesperson told the Globe in a statement. “We value his service and appreciate his commitment to our student athletes. At this time, and as we continue to heal and move forward, we felt it was in the school’s best interest to seek new leadership. We wish Thom the best in his future endeavors.”
