NJSIAA makes ruling on Paramus Catholic football coach Greg Russo's appeal
ROBBINSVILLE – Paramus Catholic football coach Greg Russo's four-game suspension was upheld by the NJSIAA executive committee Wednesday after his attorney was able to defend the coach in front of the organization for the first time.
The NJSIAA upheld the decision 31-0, with one abstention, after a 41-minute deliberation. Russo's attorney, Patrick J. Jennings, said they plan to appeal the suspension immediately and go back to Superior Court.
Russo and Paladins assistant coach Christian Maldonado were each suspended in October by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state’s governing body for high school athletics, for recruiting violations brought forth by Belleville High School.
Originally, the NJSIAA controversies committee heard the case and put the Paladins football program on probation for two years and barred them from the 2022 playoffs. But Belleville − in an unusual but not unprecedented response − appealed the punishment, saying it was not strong enough.
MORE: There are no winners in Paramus Catholic football coach's case against the NJSIAA
In October, the NJSIAA executive committee heard the Belleville's appeal and issued harsher punishments, including a four-game suspension for Russo and keeping Maldonado away from the program until the end of the probationary period.
Maldonado’s suspension was also upheld by the NJSIAA on Wednesday.
Russo and Maldonado fought back last month at the Bergen County Justice Center in Hackensack, with Russo enlisting the services of Jennings, who alleged that Russo was not able to defend himself before the executive committee in October.
Judge Edward A. Jerejian vacated the NJSIAA’s suspension after a two-hour hearing, pushing the matter back to the NJSIAA executive committee.
“I think there’s an aspect of due process that should be met here,” Jerejian said after making his decision.
Russo is a 1998 graduate of Paramus Catholic who served as an assistant coach with the Paladins and was on staff during their 2012, 2013 and 2016 Non-Public Group 4 state championships. He left the program in 2017 and was hired at Queen of Peace. But when that school closed, he joined the Northern Highlands staff and then became the Highlanders head coach in 2019, leading them to sectional titles in 2019 and 2021.
Last season, the Paladins finished 2-7 under Russo. They haven’t finished a season with a winning record since 2016. They open the 2023 season against Cleveland Heights in Ohio in August.
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paramus Catholic NJ football: Greg Russo suspension upheld
