alemany incident

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SoCalHoops High School News

Alemany H.S. AD Is Put On
Leave For McDonald Incident--(Aug. 30, 1999)

A sad and sordid incident gets even sadder and more sordid. Saturday's edition of the Los Angeles Times carried yet another in a series of articles chronicling the saga that has become the "Darryl McDonald story." A novel. Hardly. The latest victim? According to Eric Sondheimer's article, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has now placed Athletic Director Dudley Rooney of Alemany High on paid administrative leave in the wake of the disclosure that Darryl McDonald, former basketball coach, is a convicted sex offender.

According to the article, the Rev. Gregory Coiro, a spokesman for the Archdiocese, on Friday said Rooney was "placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the responsibility of the athletic director with regard to background checks for walk-on coaches."

Rooney has been Alemany's athletic director for 16 years, girls' softball coach for 17 years and a teacher at the school for 22 years. McDonald was hired at Alemany either without a background check being performed by the school, or reportedly in reliance on another background check which didn't contain McDonald's real fingerprints. According to Sondheimer's story, "McDonald is no longer coaching at Alemany. His contract was not renewed." Also according to the Times story, Rev. Jim Anguiano, principal at Alemany, declined comment, saying any information must come from the Archdiocese. Anguiano said he was "supporting [Rooney] to the best of my ability." Rooney said he does not know when or if he will be allowed to return to Alemany.

According to newspaper reports previously published, McDonald continues to be the focus of investigations from the California Department of Justice in connection with probation violations and submitting someone elses' prints on his background check with the YMCA which allowed him to avoid detection in the first instance, and for reportedly violating the registered sex-offender laws for failing to disclose to state officials that he was working with children.