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Sounds like the on-field performance was a bogus excuse, but the off-field behavior may have been the real reason. What happened?

ESD folks: Guys, the "reasons" aren't working. A reporter from another paper called last night and laughed at those and then I started to laugh. While it felt really good to finally laugh, this story makes us both look bad. Makes you look laughingly heartless and leaves the suspicion that I really did something bad that cannot be discussed. I didn't!!! Let's just be upfront and say that you would like a teacher to have this job. Why can't we just say it? I am OK with that. I have met a lot of teachers and I like them. And I am old. I would rather be old than the alternative, which is dead. I know we can't say the "old" word so pretend I didn't say it. And I am from the business/engineering community so when I see a problem I try to fix it and I don't always see the invisible "don't cross" lines that seem apparent to those who work in the system. I am finally OK with the fact that I will never, ever see them. While I know that those instances were not a direct cause of my firing, let's just say that I know that I burned up any warm fuzzies that would have made me fun to have around. Let's get a young teacher in that position, shake hands, and move on. I am so tired of this. Hey soccer girls---it was a blast and I will miss you like you cannot imagine. I am not so much OK with that. I am up for that carbo cram before a boys game and, yes, I will bring my guitar! (Not to the game---it would be considered an illegal noisemaker per WIAA and I would have to turn it over to someone) Love---Coach A.

To me, it sounds like the school does not have faith in his ability to coach and win the big game.

It sounds to me like they have someone else in mind, and used this as an excuse. We should not be surprised, this happens all the time from Jr league sports all the way to high school. If this was indeed a dedicated person to his team, he should be allowed his continuation of improving his team.

Bill Armstrong is one of the most honorable coaches I have ever met. This is clearly political and in the end the students lose out. I think this athletic director forgot that this is high school and sports teams in high school are about more than a perfect winning record. Coach Armstrong was a valuable mentor and winning coach, but obviously the former was not important to the school. What a loss.

If we're looking for who is responsible for ensuring a student-athletes "clean" off field behavior, I think we need to start with the STUDENT, then move on to the PARENTS, and after that you COULD say the SCHOOL, and finally a coach. Further, high school athletics goes beyond wins and losses, and this sounds like another case of a few spoiled kids and parents who like to assign blame to anyone but themselves, and the AD bought it. And they were all wrong.

This can't possibly be about a "disappointing" season or any lack of achievement on the field. It's a convenient excuse. I'm betting the person responsible for this asinine decision was hoping Central beat East in the sectional semifinals. It made it all so much more convenient. Strikes me as odd that the soccer coach gets held responsible for the conduct of athletes away from the field but apparently the Athletic Director and others remain bulletproof on that issue.

No, this is what is wrong with high school sports. Mr. Armstrong was a good coach, and a good person. what happened to parents dealing with off the field issues, I didn't know that was the responsibility of a high school coach

Brookfield East should be ashamed. Bill Armstrong is about as quality of a human being as there is. I saw his team play quite a bit this year. Is it Bill's fault that the girls played selfishly? Bill can't call a timeout and tell player A to pass the ball to player B when she is open. He can go over scenarios and talk about things in practice, but soccer is the ultimate players game. I think the problem is that there was a lot of talent on that team. Unfortunately, there was not a team out at Brookfield East this spring. It was a group of individuals. A talented group of individuals that didn't play for each other. In the end Corey Golla and the Brookfield East parents made a scapegoat out of Bill Armstrong. It's always easier to blame someone else than to look within. Is the expectation now that you have to go to state or you are out? Is Corey Golla going to hold every coach in every sport at Brookfield East to the same standard? I just don't know how you hold a coach accountable for student grades, students breaking the athletic code, students misbehaving in school, etc. The just aren't enough hours in the day to do that. Is Bill supposed to come in and sit in English class when a girl won't do work? To reverse that, if Bill is having a problem with a girl following his style of play would he call up her Math teacher and ask for help? The bottom line is this is just a very sad, sad statement on high school sports. Bill deserved better.

Assistant General has hit the nail on the head to an extent. The "chemistry" on the team could best be described as toxic. Players acting as individuals, not as a team, parents complaining about playing time, and the end result is a team that had the talent to win state but coming up short. What role does the coach have in all this? How about benching players who don't listen, or adapt the team concept, not listening to parents who complain about underclassmen getting playing time or even being put on the team. The coach has to run the team and this year the team ran the coach. The message sent to the underclassmen is that they aren't welcome. Unfortunately for East these players will probably not return as their club has the option for them to play soccer in the spring and skip their high school season. The message sent to incoming freshman is your not welcome on varsity. So Brookfield East not only didn't win state, they also cost themselves the services of future talented students who will think twice about playing for East. Coach Armstrong is a decent good man, he just lost control of his team.

Coaches like Bill Armstrong are hard to come by. Heck, people like Bill Armstrong are hard to come by. Still, in any organization, there are all sorts of considerations that drive a decision about who to hire, who to retain, and who to fire. If Bill wasn't the man they wanted, so be it. But they should have had the guts to tell him why to his face. The "disappointing season" and "lack of discipline" excuses are pretexts and 90% of the people I've discussed this with recognize this. Decisions one doesn't agree with are sometimes difficult to accept, as this one is. But when you get the old song-and-dance with it, well, that just makes it all the more unpalatable. I guess people can debate all they want whether Bill deserved to be fired, but there can be no question he deserved to be treated with more respect by getting a straight explanation. So did the rest of us.

Whether Coach Armstrong should or should not have been fired is unfortunately moot right now. What Corey Golla owes the student athletes, present and future, is to hire the most qualified coach available. As Coach Armstrong said, a teacher will probably be hired. Given Mr. Golla’s disturbing recent hiring record for girls’ sports, I would be shocked if that wasn’t the case, even at the expense of coaching experience and talent. The current basketball coach is a young teacher who was hired as coach after just one year with a non-teacher at the helm. The current cross country coach is a young teacher who was hired over other coaches from outside the school with considerably more experience and success in coaching. This coaching inexperience cost the girls a chance to go to state and has not improved since she took over. The cross country team has a lot of ability and has also been underperforming. If a current teacher is truly the most qualified person for the job, they should be hired. However, the fact that they are a teacher should not be the sole, or even predominant factor. In this day and age, girls’ sports teams should not be treated as second-class citizens to the boys’ teams, yet this treatment is not seen on the boys side. I am sure when the new coach is hired, quietly sometime this winter, that person will be a teacher. Let’s hope that this time this person actually is the most qualified candidate for the job in every way.

The negative comments about toxic team chemistry and freshman players not being treated well are not warranted and I know many of the players on the team would be insulted by these comments. Underclassmen were treated with respect as they always have been in prior years. The team chemistry was not toxic and reflected a normal team environment with highs and lows. There were some issues of individuals not playing as a team but this only pertained to a few players and not the team as a whole. These "few" players should have been benched when they failed to play as a team. As for Bill Armstrong, he was a dedicated coach for many years and really did a lot for the program and this whole situation should have been handled better. He deserved it. As for next year I hope Brookfield East searches for the most QUALIFIED coach whether it be a teacher or someone not in the school district.This is the only way the program will continue to thrive.

It's like Dennis Green with the Vikings against the Packers....Beat DSHA or be fired..,

Bill Armstrong is a man of integrity and depth of character. He is an outstanding coach who is highly regarded by his colleagues, both personally and professionally. Bill is good for the student-athletes and the game of soccer. This is a significant loss for the school and community. Hopefully Bill will stay in the game and it will be readily apparent that it will be a loss for Brookfield and another soccer program's gain.

We don't know the facts. But why should coach be responsible for off-field behavior unless it occurs directly after a game, practice or other organized team activity. I smell a personality clash.

As someone who was coached by Bill for 4 years of high school and 2 years of club, I am sorely disappointed in my alma mater. I have been done at East for over 10 years. I am also best friends with his daughter. He has been a father figure to me since my younger years. You will never find a better man, coach, or father. He had the unenviable task of dealing with helicopter parents who felt the need to scream when they felt their daughters were being slighted on the field. He never resorted to some of the screaming tactics I've witnessed parents participating in. As for controlling off-field behavior, that is the sole responsibility of the parent/s. A soccer coach should be the last in the line of controlling a child. If the athletic director really thinks people will believe and support his decision, he has another thing coming. Mr.A was able to do things with soccer that most never do...he made it fun while providing winning season after winning season. He cultivated talent, but never asked us to sacrifice everything for a sport. He understood that at the end of the day, the girls are still kids and should enjoy life away from the field. You were never going to suffer burn-out playing for Mr.A. You were never go to break down in tears for a simple error. He could be stern if warranted. He was everything a person could want in a coach. It' the end of an era for East Soccer.

NO, AFTER 19 YEARS OF DEDICATED WINNING SERVICE THE REASONS GIVEN ARE DISHONEST AND SHADOWED. DID HE REALLY GET FIRED BECAUSE HE IS NOT UNION? NOT A YES MAN? HAS OPINIONS ABOUT LIFE? WHEN THE GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC BODIES PROVIDE SUCH PUBLIC STATEMENTS THAT ARE MEANINLESS AND HOLLOW== CAN THE MEDIA DO ITS JOB AND ROOT OUT TRUTH? WHERE IS THE HONEST GOOD MAN IIN GOVERNMENT THAT CAN STATE THE TRUTH TO A COMMUNITY WHICH KNOWS THE PUBLIC OFFICIAL'S WORDS DO NOT REFLECT REALITY? DO WE DESERVE A REAL REASON? DOES THE COACH DESERVE A REAL REASON?

As a former player of Coach Armstrong's I would like to take the opportunity to thank him for all of the hard work, dedication, time and effort he put into, not only the program, but to the players. He was a coach, a mentor and a friend that truly cared about each and every person he worked with. Thank you Coach A for having such a positive impact on who I am today both on and off the soccer field!

It's interesting to see what the official Brookfield East Athletic Web Page says about Bill and his teams: "Brookfield East's Girl's Soccer program, led by Coach Armstrong is consistently a contender for the Greater Metro Conference Title and a threat in the WIAA tournament. The team is always a good reflection of the school and it's Coach, talented, poised, and always competitive." Seems to be some contradictions here. Now, it looks like the AD has not spoken publicly about any reasons for the firing, and rightly so from an human resources standpoint. So, unfortunately we will be left guessing... Was it too many helicopter soccer parents complaining to the AD that their daughters should get more playing time/go to state, etc? etc? Did a teacher want the job? Was there student misconduct and a scapegoat was needed for the AD? At the end of the day, it could be any one, or a combination of, these and other reasons. So, what we can do is say a big, "Thank You" to Bill for his great impact on so many young woman over the years. Thanks, Bill!

I lived in Elm Grove until 10 years ago, and now live in Sacramento, CA. I was also a high school soccer referee in Wisconsin for over 20 years, and continued refereeing in Ca. for 10 years. Bill coached my daughter in youth soccer, and really helped develop her game to the point she was a two year starter at Divine Savior/Holy Angles. All the girls loved to play for Bill. From a referee point of view, I can say Bill was one of the most respectful coaches I have encountered. I put him in the same class as David Zindler, of Waukesha West. I know Bill loves the game of soccer. I hope he will continue to coach at some level. At 62, he is still a young guy.

I heard he was the master mind behind building a play set on top of the school too.... Ok, now to a more serious point - there are lots of talented girls playing soccer in Brookfield, but there seems to be a lot of burn out / injury in the girls that might be leading towards off the field ...issues. Finding balance in a Coach / Mentor while managing some high intensity parents / players will require someone that will state their character and boundary lines up front so East and all those involved are on board. I hope East allows these characteristics for success to be identified by their next Coach to move forward and then have the Courage to stand by their Coach even when ... times get rough or ... when times are booming and the star players / parents expect special treatment. The same set of boundaries / characteristics apply. Soccer is a great game, lets have some fun!

To Brookfield East Administration and Athletic Dept.--not your finest moment! By doing what you did, letting a coach go who by all accounts was a gentleman, treated his players well, and taught them that sports were not the most important thing in life, you reinforced the old "win at all costs" stereotype. By not being honorable enough to give the real reason he was canned, you are doing further disservice to the man. Nice way to treat someone who has the record over 19 years of service this guy has. Hope you feel proud! Besides, why are BE's expectations so high anyway? When did you ever win at any sport that much? As a 50+ year Milwaukee area resident, I don't remember any BE dominance in any sport!!!