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Coach’s felony conviction questioned

5 mins read

FARMINGTON – The man chosen by a committee to be the new girls varsity basketball coach at Mt. Blue High School is being called into question because of a felony conviction two decades ago.

Tom Philbrick, 53, of Rangeley, has been recommended by a committee that conducted interviews for the coaching job. One of the committee members is a parent of a player.

Philbrick’s years of experience in sports and coaching teams helped earn him the committee’s recommendation. In high school he was an all-state high school basketball player and an all-conference football player who earned a full scholarship to Husson University. It was those years in college when he said he went to too many parties and got involved with drugs that eventually led to a conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs conviction.

“I made some bad choices. I can’t believe now that I got myself into those situations,” Philbrick said. “But, I have learned from my mistakes and I’ve turned my life around.”

Philbrick has coached the boys basketball team at Rangeley Lakes Regional School for five years and served as the school’s athletic director for three years. Two years ago he went back to school and earned his certification to be both the school’s assistant principal and athletic director. Throughout his years of coaching, he reminds his student-athletes of his mistakes so they can learn from him. He continued this tradition when he stepped in as interim coach at the Farmington high school until the hiring process can be completed. 

“I have talked to the students at Mt. Blue about my past. I wanted them to hear the truth from me. I want them to learn from my experiences. Don’t do drugs. I’m dead set against it,” he said.

Philbrick realized he wanted to work in education and athletics as part of his 500 hours of community service that was required of his sentence. He spent those hours talking to the students in Rockland’s schools about the dangers of illegal drug use, then stayed on to volunteer as a coach at Rockland Middle School and Camden Hills. 

“I really worked to better myself. To turn a negative into a positive.” He came back to Rangeley where his family has roots, to start a life doing what he loves and is grateful that Rangeley gave him the opportunity to start over, he said.

In applying for the Mt. Blue coaching position, Philbrick underwent, as all applicants do, a comprehensive background check, which he passed.

“We’re aware of his history. He’s been right up front with us,” said Mt. Blue RSU Superintendent Michael Cormier. “People make mistakes and he’s turned his life around.” 

The four-person committee’s recommendation regarding hiring Philbrick as a coach is forwarded to the school board members who have a two-week comment period if they wish to weigh in. Cormier makes the final decision in the hiring of coaches.

Clayton King, Jr., a  Farmington resident, said he has a problem with the school district hiring a convicted felon to coach the girls team.   

“I do not have any personal interest in this, but I do think it has something to say about the credibility of our schools. If we allow this what other felons will we allow to work with our children?” King said. 

He added, “I applaud that he’s been clean for 20 years. But what about the kid that gets into trouble for doing drugs and is bounced off the team? This hurts the credibility of our school system.”

“This is a learning opportunity for our young people,” Cormier said. “We all mess up, but he’s turned that around. He’s a good role model.”

“I keep looking ahead,” Philbrick said. “I’m always looking to make things right. Give something back.”  

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