Boy given 'Crybaby' Award to have sports honor named for him

Jet, June 14, 2004

The 13-year-old boy who was given a "Crybaby Award" by his coach will have an annual sportsmanship award named after him by the school, officials said.

Under an agreement announced by the Pleasantville (NJ) Board of Education, eighth-grade basketball player Terrence Philo Jr., will be given the award he should have received at a sports banquet where he was given the Crybaby Award by basketball coach James Guillen in front of his friends and family (JET, May 24).

Guillen told school officials he didn't mean the award as a slight, but Philo said it humiliated him.

Beginning next year, the Heartsmanship Award will be named the Terrence Philo Jr. Award and be given to a student at Pleasantville Middle School who demonstrates extraordinary dedication and team spirit.

"It is our hope that the actions taken by this board set an example for other school districts and communities to follow," said the Philo family's attorney, Paul D'Amato.

The Crybaby Award trophy consisted of a gold figure of a baby atop a pedestal engraved with the boy's name, which was spelled incorrectly.

Guillen, a special education teacher who was in his first year as coach of the middle school team, was suspended without pay for five days and docked a $3,000 pay raise scheduled to take effect later this year.