SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The fallout of the Saguaro High School principal using a racial slur in an email last year has been immense. Over two dozen players have left the program and almost all of them will play somewhere else this season.
Reiss Rinaldi's family has been treated differently and is struggling to understand why.
Saguaro High School Principal Anne Achtzeiger sent an email to the team's coaches last December where she wrote out the n-word. She said she wrote the word because that is what she was hearing from various football players near the school's weight room, which she said was disrupting classes happening nearby and so she used the word to tell the coaches what words she did not want to hear the players saying.
She later sent an email to the Saguaro community apologizing for writing out the word.
These players departures comes after their former coach, Zak Hill, left the program and took a job in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.
After a lengthy day of appeal hearings in front of the Arizona Interscholastic Association's (AIA) Appeals Committee, five of the six players involved in the lawsuit had their appeals granted.
Even though his reason for wanting to leave was the same as his former teammates, Rinaldi's appeal was denied. His parents told 12News they were given no reason by the AIA for why his request was denied. AIA says they do not comment on specific cases under the appeal process.
His family said they are extremely disappointed in the AIA's decision and are vowing to fight it. Rinaldi is entering his senior season and has already begun taking classes at Hamilton High School, where he planned to play this season.
He will have to serve a five-game suspension before he is able to play for Hamilton.
Tiaerra Parsons' son Fred had his appeal granted by the AIA. She expressed her appreciation that AIA is allowing her son to play with the season right around the corner.
"To be able to send that text to him this morning, let him know he was approved, and we felt his excitement through the text message. He was ecstatic," Parsons said.
The good news they received came with mixed emotions as Fred also transferred to Hamilton High School and his mom says he was looking forward to playing with Rinaldi right away.
“Some of you guys are trying to single out one student. I mean, that's not fair. So prayers to that family, and I hope they get the same news we got today," Parsons said.
The Rinaldi family can chose to file a lawsuit against the AIA. Its unclear if they plan to do so.
Scottsdale Unified School District issued the following statement denying the allegations in the lawsuit:
Scottsdale Unified School District is aware of the allegations and lawsuit being filed. We take all concerns regarding our staff and students seriously.
While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, we want to acknowledge that in December 2023 on one of our campuses, music with inappropriate and offensive language was overheard, disrupting teaching and learning for a nearby class. The principal sent an email to the football coaches who oversaw the students playing the music in the school weight room and detailed some of the lyrics which included racist and vulgar words. The principal acknowledged that including those words, even in context, may have caused some offense and apologized both in person and in email to those affected by this incident.
SUSD is committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all students, staff and community members. We will continue to focus on ensuring our educational environments are safe and supportive, where all can learn without disruption or offense.
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