SACCO: Spitzer deserved so much more

That Fort Defiance Principal Larry Landes only said “no comment” speaks volumes about how little this school administration values years of service, years of dedication and years of headaches.

Because longtime Indians football coach Dale Spitzer deserved so much more than this slap in the face.

Heck, he earned a Spitzer Night sometime next season with a brass band playing and fireworks exploding in the air.

OK, so maybe with our current economic climate, hiring the London Philharmonic and dumping dollars into exploding balls might not make the most fiscal sense. But, respect wise, saying goodbye Tuesday after 25 years to your head coach with a “no comment” proves the Fort Defiance administration is bankrupt when it comes to class.

We’ll probably never know what happened. When asked if Spitzer resigned, Landes repeated his fall-back refrain: “no comment.” Spitzer on the other hand, said there’s no piece of paper out there with his signature on it that says “resignation.” Right now, none of this matters.

Nor does it matter what happened to bring this about. Nor should we care. We shouldn’t care if names were called, paperweights were thrown or someone’s mother and her love of wearing combat boots was brought up in Landes’ Cerberus-guarded office.

The only thing that matters is, after a quarter of a century of coaching at the school he graduated from, Spitzer deserved so much more than “no comment.”

Hey, King Larry, how about, “Thank you.” How about a news release with a statement thanking Spitzer for all he’s done and wishing him well in the future?

How about checking your ego and arrogance at the door? The same ego and arrogance you showed off to the parents of your school back in June when you waved your magic scepter around and declared that Fort Defiance “is not a democracy,” when you broke a wrestling team’s heart and sent Terry Waters, your wrestling coach of 14 years, out the door.

Much like Waters, at the very least Spitzer deserved a thank-you. Much like that wrestling team, we have to ask: Were the football players’ feelings taken into account?

Thanks for that run in 2002, when Spitzer brought the Indians to within a sniff of the Group AA, Division 3 title game.

Thanks for that huge upset win in 2003, when a defense coined “The Vultures” stopped a 10-0 Western Albemarle team on its home field in the shadow of Afton Mountain, holding star running back Bryan Lescanec to 57 yards in that victory.

Or how about a thanks for dealing with a group of fans that should be an embarrassment for all of Augusta County? The same group of fans that caused the Indians to suspend Spitzer for a game when, after listening to them harangue his players during a home game — a freaking home game! — the coach finally turned and told them, in so many words, to shut the heck up.

How about a thanks for having to deal with these mouth-breathing bleacher bums who this season hid behind Internet aliases and chastised Spitzer because their Little Johnny Snowflake wasn’t playing?

Or, how about, a simple thanks for donating 25 years of your life to the youth of Fort Defiance?

But, if there’s one thing we’ve learned from Fort Defiance as of late, it’s when King Larry waves his scepter, that seems to end the story.

Sad part is, Spitzer’s final chapter deserved a much better ending. It should have ended with a thanks. A quarter century of service deserves so much more than “no comment.”