We, the undersigned, are former baseball players of Nyack High School. Our graduation years span decades. We are aware of sexual abuse perpetrated by longtime Varsity Baseball Assistant Coach, and eventual Varsity Head Coach, Pete Recla, as well as by Varsity Baseball Assistant Coach, and eventual Junior Varsity Head Coach, Kenny Pommerencke. Credible accounts report this abuse occurred, at minimum, between the years 1991 and 2007. Some of the undersigned are survivors of this sexual abuse.

All of the undersigned have been trying to do what Nyack Schools taught us to do: we are sticking up for our friends, supporting the vulnerable, organizing, listening and trying to right wrongs. We are trying to heal. We ask that you, the representatives of Nyack Schools, the people and places that tried to teach us these things, support us in these efforts. You taught us well, and there should be pride in that.

We are your former Baseball players and we are no longer comfortable with the name Dave Siegriest and its association with the Baseball Field scoreboard, Memorial Tournament or Courage Award. While no one is accusing Dave Siegriest of sexual abuse, he was at best negligent. He failed to protect the kids for whom he was ultimately responsible as Head Coach of the Baseball team. He had the benefit of pattern recognition over 21 years spent by Peter Recla’s side. He neither listened to nor acted when members of the team, community or staff approached him directly with their credible and consistent concerns. Some of the undersigned are individuals who brought these concerns to Dave Siegriest. We may never fully understand why Dave Siegriest prioritized the reputation of his longtime assistant over the safety of Nyack’s players and the community’s children, but it is abundantly clear that that was the choice he made. He failed as a mandated reporter and the kids he coached suffered as a result. The broader community was made less safe.

We, the undersigned, are adults now and we are doing what Dave Siegriest did not do. We are speaking up.

With our full and collective voices, we are requesting the following:

• Dave Siegriest Field be renamed promptly to Our Field
  • It will be called Our Field because it belongs to us; it has been reclaimed by the players, not any one of us, but all of us, past, present and future
  • It will be called Our Field as a step on the way to transforming it from a place where boys who suffered pain and abuse can be proud to return as men
  • It will be called Our Field to spark discussion among future Nyack Baseball Players. They will ask, “Why is it called Our Field?” They will then be made aware of a dark period in Nyack Baseball’s history that was brought to light through collective, cross-era action and the support former Baseball teammates showed one another. School administrators and staff who were proud of their former students and their efforts, and who didn’t try to stand in their way or else wish they stayed silent, will have played an important role. It may be a small piece of keeping this from ever happening again
  • We wish to mitigate the pain of Margaret, Sean and Brendan Siegriest, as well as friends of the Siegriest family- none of this is their fault. Even the most ardent supporters of Dave Siegriest, however, should be able to understand that Nyack’s players collectively, and particularly the survivors, are deserving and we need to heal. This removes any potential controversy for taking one person’s name from the scoreboard and replacing it with another

• A plaque be placed near the scoreboard with a quote from Pat D'Auria to be determined
  • The survivors have been forced for too long to carry on alone, but we hope that will no longer be the case. The incredible courage needed for Pat to come forward has given them, and us, our voice. Pat is a Nyack HOF athlete with accolades in both baseball and football. Pat never stopped being a friend to us and he's a married father of three kids. He’s an example to all of us of what perseverance can look like
• The Dave Siegriest Courage Award promptly be renamed The Scott Nappi Courage Award (with final approval from Scott Nappi)
  • Scott Nappi, a former Varsity Baseball player, is a survivor and he's built a life for himself. The example he sets is inspiring to us and it should be to future students. The Nyack Schools have never adequately acknowledged what Scott Nappi, a graduate of Nyack HS, went through. Scott has been on the Nyack Valley Cottage Little League Board for nine years. He's been a volunteer baseball coach since 1994 and he created the Summer Sandlot so kids can play informally, free of charge. He's served as the Valley Cottage Elementary School PTA President as well as the NHS PTSA President. He also volunteers at St. Ann's Church in Nyack as well as St. Paul's Church in Congers. Among other initiatives, Scott is organizing a Nyack Baseball & Softball Alumni tournament with plans for proceeds to be split between Project Graduation and The Scott Nappi Courage Award. Scott is the married father of two daughters who are both juniors at NHS

• The Dave Siegriest Tournament promptly be renamed The Z Man Classic (with final approval by the Zaretzky family)
  • Mike Zaretzky was a former standout Nyack baseball and football player who passed away in November 2013 at the age of 36. He was a beloved coach of the Freshman Baseball team and he's missed by the Nyack Baseball community. He also served as an Assistant Coach for the JV and Varsity Football teams. Mike was a mentor to many of us, including Pat D'Auria. He has surviving family members in the community.

• While we expect these changes to be announced through official channels (e.g., at a board meeting, in a press release, etc.), the field-level unveiling of these changes will be made by a former Baseball Player, ideally a survivor, and not a school administrator or one of the coaches, in a ceremony that includes former and current players, at a time and location TBD through coordination between the Board and former Baseball Player representatives

• Please work with us, Clarkstown and Orangetown law enforcement and the Rockland-based Center for Safety and Change to bring Pete Recla to justice; please warn others in the area as he is still a danger to the community