Investigations point to financial problems and bullying in Topsail wrestling program

Months after the Pender County Board of Education announced it would launch an independent investigation into the firing of Topsail wrestling coach Pete Smith, the results have now been announced.

Pender County Schools distributed a press release Monday with hundreds of pages of information, much of it heavily redacted. The press release included a 27-page report from Schwartz Law PPLC, a Raleigh-based law firm hired to conduct an independent investigation into the Topsail wrestling program and Smith.

Smith, who led Topsail to unprecedented success during his four seasons at the school, was fired in March, sparking confusion and concern among parents and community members.

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“Our investigation has confirmed a number of concerning events that, individually or in the aggregate, would constitute legal grounds for termination of an employee,” the law firm concluded.

Here’s a breakdown of the report’s key findings and claims. Portions of the report and its hundreds of supporting documents have been redacted. According to the law firm that conducted the investigation, 41 people – both school staff and wrestlers – were interviewed.

Financial problems

The report’s findings allege that Smith continually mismanaged the team’s finances.

“While some of his early mistakes may have been due to his inexperience in handling the school’s finances, problems of this magnitude should not have occurred in his third year as coach,” the report said.

In one specific case, it is alleged that Smith promoted a car wash to raise funds for his athletes and inappropriately advertised the cafe he owned.

“His Facebook post also suggested that people buy a coffee while getting their car washed. This was not an approved school fundraiser and the Venmo link included in the post was for the Irontide Wrestling Club.”

Team culture

The report concluded that Smith “led a team where there were numerous bullying issues” and mentioned several instances of potential bullying. The exact situations listed were heavily redacted.

One case involved alleged messages exchanged between wrestlers on the team.

“Coach Smith sent a text message to say he had learned of the messages directed at (Redacted) at a wrestling match and that he found them appalling,” the report states. “He advised that he would discuss this with the team the next day. Coach Smith wrote, ‘I am mortified and just want to say I am sorry this happened. This is not how I would want to see anyone on my team treated.'”

Assistant Coach

Smith fired three assistant coaches during the 2023–24 season.

Two were fired after it was revealed they had written derogatory comments on social media about a rival wrestler at Laney High School. Those coaches, Edwin Aristizabal and Lukas Engledow, were fired when Smith learned of the incident.

“Weren’t you the one who lost the ball to Laney in overtime?!” Aristizabal posted on Instagram,” the report said.

“Coach Engledow posted comments including ‘LLLLLLLLLL’ (loser), ‘GARBAGE CHILD’, ‘CHOKE BOY’ and ‘JACKSON BUCK WANTS YOUR LUNCH MONEY, LITTLE BOY’. Both coaches also tagged the Laney wrestler in their Instagram posts,” the report continued.

Although the coaches were fired, the report states that Aristizabal remained associated with the team and was present at the NCHSAA 4A East Regional tournament, where he coached a wrestler out of the corner.

A third coach, Jarrid Braunagel, was fired after verbally abusing a Topsail wrestler after losing a match at regionals. A coach who witnessed the incident told investigators that Braunagel “… pinned (the wrestler) to the wall and screamed in his face. He was so aggressive toward (Redacted) and used such foul language that (the coach) was about to intervene when (Redacted) intervened.”

The report also raises questions about Smith’s authority to fire the coaches, pointing out that Engledow and Aristizabal were not given formal notice of termination.

Possible violations of Title IX

More than two pages of Title IX violations were removed from the report.

Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex discrimination in all schools that receive federal funds.

One example that was not left unmentioned was the treatment of the Topsail girls’ wrestling coach, Dashanigq Sidbury.

According to the report, Smith was unwilling to coach female athletes due to the physical nature of the sport and asked the school to hire a female coach for the girls in the program.

Topsail athletic director Chris McGee hired Trask High School teacher Dashanigq Sidbury as an assistant coach for the team to coach the female wrestlers.

“Coach Sidbury had no experience as a wrestling coach and told us she was a quick learner. Giving significantly different qualifications to coaches for boys and girls is a potential violation of Title IX,” the report said.

The report states that Sidbury was asked to leave training and that those interviewed had no knowledge that she was part of the team’s coaching staff.

Further claims

The 27-page report contained numerous other allegations, including wrestlers training during non-game periods (an NCHSAA violation), unauthorized use of team facilities and improper storage of medical forms.

“Although some of the incidents described in this report are not sufficient on their own to warrant termination, taken together they have created a troubling record. Although Coach Smith (and others) have shown great dedication to their sport and developed a strong wrestling program and junior program, the wrestling team has faced many difficulties during Coach Smith’s tenure,” the report states.

Who is Pete Smith?

Smith took over the Topsail wrestling program for the 2020-21 season. He was named the 2022-23 Mideastern Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year and led the Topsail wrestlers to state championship victories the last two seasons.

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