NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Yonkers Police Department has confirmed exclusively to Talk of the Sound that a complaint was filed against New Rochelle head football coach Louis DeRienzo, on November 19th.
“We do have an open investigation regarding a complaint alleged to have occurred in the late 1980’s,” said Yonkers Police Department spokesperson Dean Politopoulos. “Due to the age of the victim at that time, no other information will be released pending further investigative progress.”
According to a knowledgeable source familiar with the matter, after DeRienzo was “reassigned” by New Rochelle Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo on November 13th, a woman telephoned Feijóo to say that after seeing DeRienzo in the news following his suspension she recalled a suppressed memory from around 1988 that DeRienzo, while an employee of the Yonkers School District, had engaged in some unspecified inappropriate manner. The Superintendent called the New Rochelle Police Department who advised Feijóo that the complainant should be the one making the report and the report should be made to the Yonkers Police Department.
Talk of the Sound reached out to Yonkers PD which confirmed a complaint has been filed.
Under the New York State Child Victims Act, signed earlier this year by Governor Andrew Cuomo, accusers have up until August 14, 2020 to file claims with no statute of limitations in civil case up until the victim turns 55.
A case from 1988 would be 31 years ago so well outside the criminal statute of limitations.
DeRienzo was suspended on November 13th following an incident at the high school where the Coach was reported to have intervened when a student at the school, a relative of DeRienzo, was in medical distress and assisted the student’s parent to release the student from school without following District protocol.
Neither DeRienzo nor Dr. Feijóo responded to requests for comment.
As a result of the suspension, DeRienzo has not coached the Huguenots during their recent run through the New York State Playoffs.
New Rochelle will play McQuaid Jesuit for the AA State Championship at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University on Sunday.
This is such baloney. Why this piece of crap Superintendent thinks she needs to “flex her muscle” and go after a well-respected pillar of the community makes no sense. She needs to go back to NYC. New Rochelle is far too good for her. And Board Members, don’t let the door hit you too fast come elections. I put no merit into this 31 yr. old maybe claim. Somebody has a vendetta against Coach Lou obviously. The very idea that anyone believes this is ridiculous.
Bull shit
Unbelievable! all of a sudden she recalled something that happened 31 years ago after seeing him on TV. He has been on TV for the last 30 years and now she sees it? 28 years in New Rochelle as a Teacher and Coach and not one person has come forward to accuse him of doing anything inappropriate all those years in NR. A leopard does not change his spots, if he was that type of person, it would have followed him to New Rochelle. Why did the person call the New Rochelle Superintendent and not the police. Something doesn’t smell right here.