He went from respected baseball patriarch to alleged child predator.
Lou Spadaccini, who built formerly downtrodden Neumann-Goretti into a perennial area power over the last five seasons, was arrested Monday, first charged with plying a 14-year-old boy with alcohol and drugs in a hotel room.
That, of course, was just the first of several mind-numbing developments in the case. He was rearrested the next day, this time for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy several times in recent months.
Spadaccini poured much of his time and heart into baseball, both at Neumann-Goretti and in local youth organizations, so the charges were quite a shock.
While Spadaccini could sometimes be arrogant on the diamond, it seemed that he generally cared for his players and had their best interests in mind.
Last year, in a story I wrote about the Neumann-Goretti baseball "family," Spadaccini had this to say: "I know I would do anything for these kids, and I know they would do anything for me. It goes really deep."
Spadaccini, assistants Matt Cella and Phil Cardella, and 17 or so players regularly got together for laughter-filled barbecues, Xbox competitions and Phillies games, or just to hang out.
Now, unfortunately, Spadaccini's motives have to be questioned. Was he "grooming" certain players, using his influence as head coach to win over vulnerable teenagers? Was he, in essence, a wolf in sheep's clothing?
"Coach Lou" was arraigned Thursday, with bail set at a staggering $2 million. Considering the accusations, especially the one of his giving a 13-year-old alcohol and having sex with him three times in July and August, the high amount was fitting.
Sex crimes against insecure minors, in which an adult uses his wiles and charisma to gain personal pleasure, are indeed the most despicable. Few, including the prison community, are forgiving of such acts.
In the South Philly neighborhood where Spadaccini lived with his parents, residents were stunned at the charges against the outgoing and likable coach.
"They want to believe Lou because he was such a nice guy," neighbor Alex Butler, 20, told an Inquirer metro reporter. "But now they don't know what to believe."
It doesn't look good for the Saints coach. Police investigators were interviewing other possible victims and gathering more physical evidence, including the activity logs of Spadaccini's cell phone and the alleged victims' cell phones.
